Something Like Happiness
by Dymaxion Chronofile
Summary: They didn't like each other. They wanted to avoid each other. Their luck was notoriously low, but Seto didn't think it would be low to the point of having to live with Katsuya. (University AU. KaiJou/Puppyshipping. Diverging from canon but not totally.)
1. Chapter 1

Alright so I haven't written fic in something like 2 years. Forgive my rustiness. I won't have an update schedule, since I work. Sorry if this is rehashing canon a bit, but I feel like I needed to get the changes in canon pretty clear, since this is an AU.

* * *

Through Seto's childhood, people came and went. His father's servants didn't stay for long, and people from school would come and go. There was one constant in his life, one that he wished was not there; Katsuya Jonouchi.

He irritated Seto to no end. He was so cheerful that it was irritating. He made no effort in school. He always looked like he had just rolled out of bed, even from a young age. Even before his bully phase, Seto just wanted to choke the life out of Katsuya. But the feeling was mutual. Seto was prissy and cold, caring more about his grades than about others. Those two would never get along. No one dared approach the pair if they were together.

Seto would always start it. It was like there was a bubble around him and, as soon as Katsuya crossed the threshold, he popped the bubble holding him back. Seto would throw a spiteful comment, and Katsuya couldn't help but bark back. Then Seto would so much as look at him wrong, and Katsuya would have him by the collar, snarling.

More than once, he punched Seto. He knew he deserved it. He wasn't afraid to hit back, however. The violence like this only lasted for a couple of years, when they had both started school. Teachers would sit them at other ends of the classroom, knowing what they were like together. Neither of them would ever get transferred. Seto never knew why, but it didn't bother him. Grown-ups could deal with conflict.

As they grew older, Seto watched Katsuya get himself into trouble. A part of him felt bad for not helping, but at the same time, it wasn't like they were best friends, either. Or friends. More like enemies. Even if he tried to help, it would have only been thrown back in his face. He grimaced at the thought. He didn't want what little kindness he showed to be in vain.

It didn't take too long for Katsuya to make new, decent friends. Seto stayed alone. He didn't have time for friends, nor did he want them. All he needed in his life was Mokuba; he was the whole reason Seto worked so hard. Maybe he was a little bitter that Katsuya could have a normal life. Why could someone that stupid have so much luck? He probably went home to a loving family, greeted by love.

When Seto went home, books and his tutor would be waiting for him, her arms crossed. No matter what time he arrived, she would always act as though he was late. He kept his chin up, and would apologise for taking so long, despite asking the driver to drive as fast as possible. She would never respond, however, instead leading him to the study.

He would be forced to sit there, reading book after book, writing essay after essay, until it was late at night. Then finally, he would be released from his chains. In his childhood, he was naïve enough to try to ask for a break, which earnt him a swift slap. He soon learnt to stop, and in his teenage years, he realised he was glad to have learnt. The punishment would have only gotten worse.

Sometimes, hard work simply wasn't enough. Seto had spent the night studying, reading notes and extensive essays over and over again before school. He had grown so used to sleepless nights that it hardly affected him anymore. The teacher placed his test on the table. It was a B. His blood ran cold. He wouldn't be able to explain that.

Unfortunately for him, Katsuya had seen his grade. He snatched the piece of paper and held it up in the air with a grin.

"Even the mighty fall," he tutted.

"At least I can manage a B. But in your case, here's a little bit of advice; anyone can stoop down and pick up nothing," Seto said, calmly yanking the paper back. He had to keep himself calm. He couldn't let this idiot see him shaking.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly."

Yugi pulled Katsuya back into the group. At least that kid had some sort of sense. Shame he couldn't say the same about his friend. Katsuya was the least of his troubles. Seto didn't want to go home already, but running away would have only made it worse. He could face it like an adult, even though he was only sixteen. He filed away the piece of paper, ready to show his father, knowing he already knew.

The moment he walked into the house he knew. Gozaburo was waiting, his eyes burning into his being. Seto's breath was caught in his throat. It was only a B. It _shouldn't_ have been so much of a big deal. He scanned around for Mokuba first, but he was nowhere in sight. He was most likely confined to his room for now. He didn't need to see this.

Gozaburo grabbed Seto by the wrist and pulled him into his office, slamming the door behind him. He already couldn't breathe. Gozaburo grabbed him by the throat, pinning him against the wall. He didn't bother to struggle anymore. His energy was used to breathing. As long as it was just him, and not Mokuba, it was fine.

Except no, it really wasn't fine.

"Do you think your education is a _joke_ , Seto?!" Seto felt tears prickling. He could hardly breathe. He still tried to shake his head. "No? Then why are you allowing your grades to slip?"

Even if Seto could speak, he had no answer. He had tried to work as hard as he could. He didn't understand what had happened, either. If it was up to him… Finally, Gozaburo released him, allowing him to drop to the floor. Seto coughed for what felt like an eternity, holding his throat. As long as it wasn't Mokuba, he needed to remind himself. That was why he didn't fight back. He would be a lightning rod for as long as it took before he got his revenge. Just as long as Mokuba was okay.

"Get out of my sight. From now on, you don't get dinner until you're done studying. No more food in the study. And I'm revoking your weekends. You're retaking that test, and you won't stop retaking it until you get 100%."

Seto rose to his feet and left his father's office, taking in a deep breath. He wiped his eyes quickly, just in time for Mokuba to come barrelling around the corner. He was all smiles to see his big brother. That was enough to give him strength.

The smile faded when Mokuba could sense something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what, exactly. He already knew not to ask. He would not receive an answer. Instead, he gave Seto a quick hug, before dashing off. Seto needed to get back to work, and Mokuba didn't want to get him into trouble. He seemed like he was in enough trouble as it was.

Seto hid into his room to get changed quickly. It was hot, but it seemed like he would need to put on his black turtleneck. Looking at it made his stomach knot. But it wouldn't be long before the bruises would show, and he couldn't explain it to Mokuba. He would attempt something drastic, and Seto couldn't let him get involved. He needed to protect him for as long as he could.

The worst part was Gozaburo, being some bigshot politician, wanted to seem like some sort of 'man of the people'. That was why he had adopted Seto and Mokuba, it was why he donated to charities, and it was why he was often in the news, trying to seem friendly. Nothing more than an act to get more votes. Seto knew the truth. The staff knew the truth. But nothing could have been done about it.

From his father came Seto's dream. He wanted to make the world a better place; he would create his own game company. There was no room in the world for politics. It may have been a pipe dream, but he would make it work somehow. He had already started making his own augmented reality platforms. Soon enough, he could take out the dents, and make enough money for him and Mokuba to live happily ever after.

Soon enough, they would be free.

* * *

Katsuya's life wasn't easy, either. He resented Seto; that guy had everything handed to him on a silver platter, yet went pale when faced with a B. Katsuya would have killed him for that B. He wasn't meant to be smart, but he was working on it. He didn't want to be the same lowlife as his father.

He spent a lot of time out of the house – as much as possible, really – spending time with Yugi, or helping out at his grandpa's shop. Once in a while, if he had the spare cash, he would attempt duel tournaments. With Yugi's much-needed help, he got through it pretty well, often making it to third or second place. Rarely, he won the whole thing. Those were his lucky days, as he won so much money.

His winnings were stashed away in Yugi's room. He didn't trust his father, his father's friends or his neighbours not to steal it. He worked hard for that money. That was going to help his get to university, if he could get his grades up. Thankfully, Yugi was more than happy to help with that, too.

Sugoroku was more than happy to let him help, and to pay him as well, even though it wasn't much. Katsuya threw small tournaments for various games to attract crowds. Unlike the poor old man, he had the energy to run these things. Plus, it gave him a chance to test out his own duellist strategies. He truly enjoyed it; the money was a bonus.

He wouldn't go home until he was _sent_ home. Sometimes, Sugoroku would let him sleep over, but not too often. He had bills to pay, and Katsuya simply ate too much. He just didn't want to go home. But soon enough, he would be free from that hell. He could live his own life, without fear of getting stabbed each time he left the house. He could come home, without worrying that a bottle would be thrown at him.

For the rest of his school life, he would work as hard as he could. Katsuya decided to keep his grades to himself, though. He didn't want to seem like a goody two-shoes. At least his grades were climbing up. He couldn't complain about that. He would come out stronger, and he would show people like Seto that being adopted into money was nothing. Katsuya could become great on his own terms.

He would lie on his barely-a-bed, staring up at the slowly sinking ceiling, thinking to himself. The best was yet to come. He only had a couple of years left in high school. He could leave Domino City behind. He would smile every time he remembered that. He was getting closer.

On sleepless nights, Seto would also lie in his too-comfortable bed, wrapped in thick blankets, staring at the ceiling. It was a habit he had developed. If he couldn't be open and honest with people, he could be open and honest in his own room, and in his mind. There was a good reason only Mokuba was allowed to set foot inside.

It was the only thing that helped him sleep that night, even if for only a couple of hours. He would mull over the events of the day, or plan out new ideas for his future business. He would also think about himself as a person.

He was too soft, and he knew it. The business world was cruel. He wondered if he was only so soft because, in his own mind, he was never good enough. Seto was only a teenager; he still had time to harden. He could eradicate the weak, and replace it for the strong.

This habit started from when he was young, and became something he depended on to be able to sleep. A self-assessment, in which he was mostly critical. It would help him grow, be stronger. Just as Gozaburo said. He shook off that thought every time. He didn't want to be reminded of that man, parading around as if he was his biological father.

It sickened him.

* * *

It felt like weeks before high school was over. But on the day of his graduation, Seto couldn't believe it. He wanted to laugh, but it would have seemed out of place. With his grades, there was no way his university would try to reject him. He settled for a smirk. Of course he was going to be smug. It wouldn't be much longer until he could save Mokuba, too. Everything was coming together nicely.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Katsuya crying on Yugi's shoulder, with his friends rallied around him. Ugh, the geek patrol acting like a cheer squad. It sickened him. Despite better judgement, he approached.

"What's wrong, Jonouchi? Didn't pass?"

It could have almost passed as sincere, if Katsuya was an idiot and had no idea who Seto Kaiba was. Instead, he pulled away from Yugi with a big, disgusting snort, and grinned. He was delirious.

"Actually, you pompous-ass jerk, I actually passed. _Aaand_ , in case you didn't know, this means I'm going to university."

"As long as you keep away from me, I don't care," Seto shrugged.

"That's the plan."

It was as good a goodbye as those two were going to get from each other. Seto didn't care what he was going to university for, but he was a little happy for him. The idiot had his head screwed on. He smirked again.

As long as he was happy, and stayed away from Seto, he didn't care what happened to Katsuya.


	2. Chapter 2

"Seto-sama." The male voice caught his attention. "The car is ready for you."

Seto looked at the clock. It was already time. He had spent his morning watching television with Mokuba, who looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. For a child who was twelve, he certainly liked to act as if he was eight, sometimes. To Seto, it was a good sign; he hadn't lost his innocence just yet. Mokuba pulled him into a tight hug, with no chance of escape.

"You'd better have room for me to come over whenever I want, Seto," he said. Seto couldn't help but smile, ruffling his hair gently.

"You're welcome as often as you want," he assured the younger Kaiba.

Mokuba refused to let go. He nestled his face into Seto's chest. They had never really been apart before. They had always stuck together. But it wasn't like it was forever, anyway. They could see each other all the time, but they just wouldn't live together. The poor boy had figuratively glued himself to his brother.

But it was time to go. Gently, Seto peeled away his arms, before getting up. He was going for both of them, anyway. To give them a better life. If he could, he would have taken Mokuba with him, but Gozaburo would not allow this. He needed control of at least one of them. Seto was thankful that he showed no interest in Mokuba; at least he was sure to be spared.

With Mokuba in tow, he walked to the front door, where Gozaburo stood, waiting. Seto's blood ran cold, but he didn't let it show. His eyes hardened when looking at his father, but it went unnoticed by him. He was lucky.

"You're welcome home whenever. I expect you'll be home next weekend, before you'll be too busy," Gozaburo said.

That was a threat. Seto wasn't stupid. "I'll be back as often as I can, and I hope Mokuba can come and visit, as well."

"If your grades and his grades meet expectations, he can." Though, Gozaburo didn't seem too pleased by this demand. It didn't matter to Seto, as long as Mokuba could come over.

They stood in front of each other, staring each other down. Seto's heart raced in his chest, but he still did not falter. Gozaburo probably expected some form of affection. He should take the fact he was still standing as compliment enough. Giving Mokuba one final, quick hug, he left the mansion and followed the driver to the car. Just a few days before he would have to come back. It made his skin crawl.

Katsuya struggled to stay awake. He held his backpack tightly. He didn't have much in there; a few outfits, socks and boxers, and his clunky old laptop. No one would steal his stuff. It was all worthless to everyone else but, to him, it meant the world to him. He rubbed his eyes and readjusted himself on the train.

He needed to wake up. He felt like he had been on this train for days, but it had only been an hour or so. Katsuya didn't sleep that night, he was far too excited to get out of the house. With the relief washing over him, it was lulling him to sleep, the stress melting away. But it was knocking him out.

At university, he could reinvent himself. Katsuya could be one of those nerds he was always jealous of, if he really pushed himself. He hoped whoever he lived with was going to be a nerd too. They could help him push himself into a better person. But he didn't want to change too much. He could surround himself with good people, and shed the bad.

He could get along with anyone, except Seto Kaiba, or someone else exactly like him. Stuck-up, pompous people needed to be punched in the face, but Katsuya didn't want to administer beatings like that anymore. He didn't need any of that in his life anymore. He was going to be himself, but better.

It seemed like someone was already home when Seto arrived. A pair of worn-out shoes were by the front door, but one of the bedroom doors were closed, and he could hear soft snoring from behind it. He would leave them alone until they decided to emerge. _If_ they decided to emerge. His things were put into his room, with the aid of his driver, before he left.

Seto decided to unpack the kitchen things first, before getting started on his room. He could get rid of those boxes easier. He didn't have much compared to the china and cutlery at home, but enough for about three people, even though he would only be living with one other person. He wasn't trying to be quiet while putting things away. He really didn't care.

Katsuya had crashed on arrival. He had woken up when a cupboard door slammed quite loudly. He couldn't assume he was living with an asshole just yet. Everyone made mistakes. With a yawn, he got up and left his room. He followed the sound into the kitchen. Right as he was about to say something, he stopped, mouth hanging open.

Seto stared back. He didn't know what to say. In his mind, he was hoping it was a joke, or some sort of fever dream. But this was very real. Katsuya was in his house. The one person he did _not_ want to see in his damn house. He sucked in his breath, putting down the glass that was in his hand.

"Jonouchi," he looked him in the eyes, scowling "what are you doing in my house?"

"Noooo, no no no _no_! What are _you_ doing in _my_ house?"

"I live here now."

Both of their fears were confirmed at once. "So do I."

They both went silent again. What was Katsuya supposed to do? Drag him by the collar and give him the bum's rush? He didn't want to be that guy anymore, but with Seto, it was hard not to be that guy. His face made something in his blood rush. His attitude made him so easy to punch. _Fuck_. This.

He wasn't that guy anymore. He refused to be that guy. Katsuya had only just gotten here, and he wasn't about to get into a world of trouble just because he had seen Seto Kaiba. Instead, he turned on his heels to get out, put his shoes on and left, slamming the door behind him. He ran downstairs and opened the door.

The moment the air hit his face, he couldn't help but shout. The sound echoed through the streets. He couldn't believe this was happening. This couldn't have been happening. Dizzy, he kept running, hoping that everything would make sense soon enough.

It wasn't fair. Seto was supposed to go to some big university, where you had to staple a cheque for five hundred million yen before your application could be even considered. What was he doing where Katsuya was going? What was he doing in his house? He just wanted to change, to live his life out of the past.

He just needed to calm down. Once he was calm, he could go home. In the meantime, he could just start to learn where he was.

With Katsuya gone, Seto had poured himself a glass of water. He couldn't believe this. Trash like that, living with him. He was glad he was gone, though. It only would have caused a massive argument, and to be honest, he wasn't sure he was quite feeling it. He couldn't be bothered to fight with Katsuya anymore.

After drinking his water, he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This could work. They knew each other, meaning Seto didn't have to get to know someone, only for them to be shocked at how much of a rude person he is. Plus, he wouldn't be treated as 'the son of Gozaburo Kaiba', someone who was untouchable. They were adults now. Katsuya surely matured over the summer. If he could make an effort, then…

No. Seto would never make an effort for that dog.

Once he had calmed down – and found his way back – Katsuya came home. He had left at midday, and came home at seven in the evening. He didn't even think he had gone that far! He would need to keep himself stable. He wasn't going to snap today. He would just have to not look at Seto, and he could build himself up from there.

Thankfully, he was already in the kitchen, so Katsuya didn't have to see him. He plonked himself down on one of the two small couches and turned the television on. He would just have to wait to get some food. It wasn't like he was all that hungry just yet, anyway. Katsuya had to admit, he wasn't looking forward to his boring, cheap dinner.

Seto had made too much. Portion sizes weren't his thing; he never used to cook. Using his laptop, he could look up some recipes, but it wasn't the same as the trained chefs at home. It was more satisfying to make your own, anyway. Or so he heard.

It only took one bite for Seto to realise that phrase was absolute _nonsense_. He could master anything, but cooking was one thing he was going to struggle with. The problem was what to do with the rest of the food. He didn't want to throw it away, but heaven knows Seto did not want to touch that. He had an idea.

"There's food on the table if you want it. Throw it away if you don't. I made too much, and I don't want it to go to waste," Seto said.

Ooh! Free food! Hey, it was probably some sort of peace offering, and Katsuya wasn't exactly going to turn down free food. With a rushed 'thanks', he barged by Seto and walked into the kitchen. The plate didn't look appetising, but to be fair, just because it looked like dog crap, didn't mean it tasted like dog crap.

Katsuya took a bite out of the food, and quickly realised why Seto didn't want to eat it. It wasn't poisoned, but the taste alone made him wish he was. Then again, it wasn't like he could do much better. And it kind of beat his two options; _ramen en paquet_ or _ramen en boîte_. At least it was variety, even if it was kind of like dog food. He finished it quickly, before cleaning up his plate.

"Thanks again, Kaiba," Katsuya said, plonking back down.

"Don't mention it." He didn't even bother looking up from his laptop.

Which really meant "why are you talking to me?", but Seto bit his tongue. A volatile environment all the time wasn't going to be good for studying, not for either of them. Katsuya would need all the focus he could get, anyway. Seto could just ignore him.

"Y'know, we've gotta go in for our induction on Monday, right?" Katsuya asked. Oh God, don't let him finish that thought the way Seto thought he was going to. "Why don't we go together?"

"I can think of plenty of reasons why we shouldn't," Seto replied.

"I'm really trying to be friendly here."

"I don't want to be friends, Jonouchi. I didn't come here for that." Seto sighed. "But if it makes you stop talking, I'll go with you. I'm not being held responsible for you being late."

That surprised Katsuya. A spark of patience! He was expecting to be told a swift 'fuck you' and for it to be left at that. Seto was probably scared of being lost. Well, he had every right to be afraid, because that was the exact reason Katsuya wanted to go with him. He hadn't managed to find the university while on his little tour, despite his best efforts.

Saying that, it probably meant he would have to get up at six for an induction that started at nine. If it meant knowing where he was, it didn't matter too much. He got up and left, deciding to call Yugi before going to bed. Thankfully, he was still awake. Calling him over Skype was quite relaxing. It may have only been a quick hello, but it did make him feel better.

"Oh, hey, you won't believe this…guess who I live with. You'll never guess," Katsuya grinned.

Yugi thought about it for five minutes but, without an answer that wasn't obvious, he had to give in. "Who?"

"Kaiba. I swear, I'm living with Seto Kaiba." Yugi's eyes widened. He blinked, quiet for a moment.

"Does that mean you—"

"Don't be weird, it's not like _that_! It's randomly assigned, I think."

The thought made him shudder. Him and Seto? They never got along, anyway. One of them would always start it. But this could have been the year they would finally tolerate being in the same room together. They would have to get used to it, or else the next year would have been pure hell.

"Hurry up." Seto was blunt, already sick of Katsuya's dawdling.

"I'm trying! D'you think I like being lost in Nowheresville with you? I can tell you, I've got better things to do than go round and round in circles," Katsuya said, rolling his eyes.

They had been walking for an hour. They both knew the university was ten minutes away. It wasn't like they could even follow a hoard of students, because no one would be going just yet. They were just leading each other into a loop, and they were both sick of it.

Seto forced him to stop. He checked on his phone and, finally, they had a path to follow. He grabbed his idiot roommate by the arm and walked, dragging him along. He wasn't going to be held responsible for him, even though he was now a big boy, who would look after himself. Katsuya tugged his arm free, before looking at Seto.

"Okay, I get it. But you know, you don't need an excuse to touch me," he joked. Seto stopped again, folding his arms.

"If you're not careful, I will shove you into a bush and _leave you_ there to find the way yourself," Seto spat, walking again.

Jeez. Fine. Seto could be such a boring hardass. Well, Katsuya was sort of asking for it. He shrugged it off and kept walking, following behind as closely as he could manage. He was taller, so it was easier for him to storm off ahead. Maybe he was trying to abandon him. The thought alone made Katsuya laugh, but when he did, Seto glared at him. He had run out of patience for the day.

It was easy to tell when they had arrived. The building was huge, with big windows. Katsuya hadn't seen anything like it, but Seto seemed unfazed by it. Trust the rich boy to be used to big things. There were already a couple of people hovering about, but they were mostly people trying to guide the new students to where they needed to go, handing out maps and freebies. Katsuya graciously accepted the freebies, while Seto grabbed a map.

Without a word, he helped Katsuya to where he needed to go. He was pretty thankful, actually. Seto was being mildly pleasant this morning. He may have been too tired to argue, but he sure as hell wasn't going to jinx this. It was such a rare opportunity, seeing Seto being not a jackass.

They reached an elevator, and Seto stopped, pressing the button. He turned to Katsuya.

"You want the fourth floor, and it looks like it's the first room out of the elevator," Seto instructed. Surely he could manage that much.

"Huh?" Katsuya blinked. "You're not coming?"

"No. I have to go to the other side of the building. All the new students aren't just going to meet up in a big room." Seto rolled his eyes at the stupid question. "Or, is this what you want?" He ruffled Katsuya's hair until it was a mess. "Have a great day at school, honey."

So much for Seto being friendly. "Fuck off, Kaiba. It doesn't hurt to be a nice person sometimes, you know."

Seto simply abandoned him, and it was just in time too, because Katsuya knew he was going red. He spent so long looking nice, only for an asshole to ruin it for him. It was like decency was too much to ask of him. He got into the elevator, and pressed the fourth button, hoping Seto was right. He shouldn't rely on him. He was probably leading him into a trap.

Katsuya was wrong. The induction went without incidents, and he was actually in the right room, making it a double bonus. He would have to thank Seto later, but it wasn't like he would accept the thanks, anyway. He seemed to be making a slight effort, which was more than Katsuya would have ever asked for.

If they could go the rest of the year like this, life wouldn't be so difficult. That was all Katsuya was going to ask for.

* * *

Short note - ramen en boite/paquet is French for 'ramen in a box (or boxed ramen)/ramen in a packet'. It's mostly me joking around, since I'm so used to people around me thinking French = fancy.


	3. Chapter 3

The two had a week before class started. For Seto, it meant a few days of peace before having to see his father for a couple of days. He would rather spend his weekend with nothing but Katsuya, but he didn't want to leave Mokuba by himself for too long. Seto would never trust Gozaburo, especially not with his most important person.

Seto was stressed enough over the visit. He refused to leave his room, unless it was necessary. He couldn't stand to see Katsuya. He would cook dinner for both of them, and that was the extent of it. They barely said hello to each other. Then again, neither of them really enjoyed the arrangement. Neither of them could expect the other one to be more than begrudgingly polite.

Katsuya wasn't sure what he expected from Seto. A bit more of a response, really. A bit less of a cold shoulder, maybe. That was more of a hope. Bah, it was for the best that they didn't speak, anyway. Katsuya could get behind that. He stayed in the living room regardless, comfortable enough talking to his friends via his barely functional Skype. To his amusement, he found out that Seto was annoyed by the Skype noises. More power to Katsuya.

By Friday, Katsuya came home from job hunting to find a suitcase by the door. Seto was patiently waiting on the couch, book in hand. He didn't even bother to look up at him. Katsuya paused, mouth slightly open, not sure where to even start.

"You're leaving?" he blurted out before he could really think about it. Seto glanced behind him.

"For the weekend, yes. My father insisted." More like threatened.

Damn. There went Katsuya's hopes for a better, nicer roommate. Even if he could change, he would have somehow gotten a roommate worse than Seto anyway. Was there even anything worse? He shook off the thought.

"Don't eat everything."

Seto was allowing him food? That surprised Katsuya. Something was off with him, but Katsuya couldn't figure out what it was. Surely, Seto would have been happy to go home. But the look on his face said otherwise. It was likely he was simply sick. Katsuya didn't push him.

"My driver is almost here." He scoffed. "Don't burn the house down, either."

Before Katsuya could respond, his roommate was gone. That Seto…! Who did he think he was, anyway? He wasn't exactly a master chef! He could barely cook as it was. If he was just trying to irritate Katsuya, then it worked for sure. He bristled and plonked down on the couch. One day, that couch was sure to break with how he threw himself onto it constantly. But the more Seto annoyed him, the more Katsuya plonked.

They could both already tell, this was going to be a long, arduous year.

"Seto!"

He heard it before he could see it. The excitable twelve-year-old boy, who had launched himself full-force at his unsuspecting brother, almost toppling both of them. It made him smile for a moment. He crouched down and offered Mokuba a real hug, who was more than happy to oblige. He was like a puppy. It had only been a few days, yet they had missed each other so much.

Luckily, Gozaburo was too busy to say hello just yet. The less he could see of him, the better. Seto stood no chance of settling down, however, as Mokuba was already dragging him to his room, blabbering about the new friends he had made in his class. It seemed like he was stepping out of his big brother's shadow a little bit. Soon enough, he would be a young man. That was a scary thought. He wanted Mokuba to be his little brother forever. To Seto, he was growing up too quickly.

Seto didn't mind listening, but he kept an ear out for Gozaburo still. He couldn't help but be on his guard. It did mean he wasn't listening too intently, though. He kept inspecting Mokuba while he wasn't paying attention. He didn't seem hurt, but he couldn't go poking and prodding without permission. For now, Seto would have to assume Mokuba was safe.

No matter what, Mokuba was always a light in his life. Seto needed that light to keep him stable, to show him where he was supposed to go in life. Even now, something about Mokuba made him feel better about being in this house.

He seemed happy enough, but it was hard to be sure if his happiness was genuine. He was always so cheerful, but the happiest people are often the saddest. That didn't mean he didn't appreciate the happiness, however. Mokuba's personality was everything Seto's wasn't. Seeing the world through his eyes would have been a lot better.

That evening, Gozaburo joined the two brothers for dinner. It had only been a few days, but Seto still froze momentarily upon seeing the man for the first time that day. He could not show weakness. He stowed away his nerves, replacing it for apathy. Mokuba frowned at both of them, sensing the tension already. He wasn't stupid.

"It's good to see you again, Seto," his father said, raising a glass to his son.

He bit his tongue before replying. "I'm happy to be home." A good enough answer. Gozaburo looked back down at his food, poking at his dinner with his fork.

"I expect nothing but greatness from you. Don't forget that." Another threat.

"I have no intention of letting myself down."

Gozaburo frowned at him. Mistake. Seto's instinct was to aggravate as a defence mechanism. None of them said anything. He had completely lost his appetite, and instead, put his cutlery down. He took a sip of water, unable to look at his father, or at Mokuba. What was he thinking? Seto wasn't thinking.

After dinner, Seto was called into Gozaburo's office. Though he gulped down his fear, his face was passive. It was easier that way. As soon as he entered, the door was closed and locked behind him.

Seto went straight to his room as quickly as he could without drawing attention and closed the door behind him. Thankfully, Mokuba didn't see him. He couldn't explain the marks on his neck or on his arm. He pulled a black sweater over him. It always felt so scratchy, uncomfortable, too hot. But he didn't take it off.

He plonked himself down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, focusing on the intricate shapes of the plaster above. How much more of this would he have to put up with? With any luck, Gozaburo would die soon. A day Seto prayed for constantly. He would not allow himself to get upset. He was certain every room in the house had surveillance, anyway. He would not let that man win by seeing him hurt.

It was only for a couple of days. University would start soon. He could be home before he knew it, but that still didn't help him relax. When Gozaburo dies, that would be the start of Seto's healing process.

Katsuya wasn't home when Seto arrived. He figured his roommate was still trying to look for a job. Not like anyone would hire street trash like him, but at least he was trying. Supporting him wasn't a problem; food money was mere peanuts to Seto. He wasn't going to tell him that, though. It was amusing watching Katsuya squirm, listening to him insist he would pay him back for everything through gritted teeth. It was obvious he was frustrated with himself for not being able to provide himself with an adequate living.

Seto had time to unpack in peace. He still wore the thick, scratchy sweater. He felt like he had become glued to it. Katsuya had kept the small apartment far too warm for Seto's liking. He would have to keep the damn sweater on, as well, and he was already sweating. Dammit. He opened the window in his room and turned off the radiator, enjoying the fresh breeze against his face.

By the time he had unpacked, Katsuya had already come home, flopped onto the couch. He was dressed in his best clothes, eyes covered by his elbow. He did not move, even when Seto opened the door. When he found his mess of a roommate, he frowned down at him, crossing his arms. Katsuya groaned.

"Don't," he grumbled. "no calls yet. I'm getting nowhere at this rate. Don't nag me."

Seto could have been mean about it and made fun of how unemployable he was, but he deemed it too easy. He had no plans to, anyway. But now it was too tempting. "Then why are you at home, resting? Get back out there, Jonouchi. Employers don't like lazy people."

"I've been up for hours. I don't even think I've eaten yet. Seriously, I'm hungry, and sick of walking. Ugh…" Katsuya rolled over. "I need food… I'm gonna die." Seto rolled his eyes.

"I'll make dinner. Stop whining," he said before abandoning him.

"That wasn't a hint. Stop doing shit for me," Katsuya replied weakly. Still, he appreciated it.

Once done, Seto wordlessly presented Katsuya with a bowl and some chopsticks, before leaving him again. He slowly rose up from the couch. Well, it wasn't a chef's cooking, but Seto was starting to get better, little by little. The presentation left much to be desired, but it wasn't bad. Food was food, at the end of the day.

Katsuya wasn't going to say they were suddenly best friends, but he felt like they had at least made progress since they had first moved in together. It was only the first couple of days, but they had made some sort of breakthrough. They could stand to be in the same room together without either arguing or getting punched. That definitely counted as progress.

On the other hand, Seto just didn't care enough to try and fight. Where was the fun in constantly fighting with him? When it was occasional, it was funny to watch him squirm, but when it was daily, it became stale so quickly. He ignored Katsuya when possible. He had no interest in forming a friendship.

They had come to a good enough compromise in the apartment. Katsuya would clean, and Seto would cook. It worked out pretty well for Katsuya; he didn't have the money to keep buying food, but Seto did. Though, he was working on getting a job, and had a couple of interviews lined up. Of course, the jobs would be crappy, but if it meant getting some income, it didn't matter to him. He didn't want to rely on his roommate forever. Especially when that roommate was Seto Kaiba. It wouldn't be long before he asked for something in return.

Occasionally, they would walk to university together, mostly in silence. If they saw each other in one of the buildings, they would walk back home together, as well. A part of Seto did enjoy the company, but it wasn't something he was used to, nor did he have any plans to get used to it. It wouldn't be long before the year was over, and they would have gone their separate ways into different apartments. That would suit him.

At least Seto could get used to him, like an unwanted ornament, or some tacky artwork on the fridge. Whether he wanted it or not, Katsuya was going to be a constant in his life for a year.

Seto would mostly stay in his room, out of the way, while Katsuya enjoyed sprawling out onto one of the couches in the living room. Katsuya was trying to get into his studies, but it was so damn hard. He wasn't a genius. How was he supposed to understand half of this crap? He groaned a lot, hoping that his noises would help him understand. A quick required reading took him a whole afternoon just to understand it. Why was he even bothering?

He didn't want to give up, but it was already so stressful. It had only been a couple of weeks. Why was it so difficult? He didn't have Yugi to help him anymore. He didn't know any of his classmates, either. He sat up properly, book in his lap, squinting at the small text. Nope. No more. He was getting a headache. He dropped the book to the floor with a thud, burying his face in his hands. How the hell was he going to survive?

Alerted by the noise, Seto left his room and looked around the corner. Oh. Katsuya was fine, but his book was not. With a roll of his eyes, Seto approached and picked up the book. He wanted to whack Katsuya with it for disrespecting expensive books. He had no concept of the price of books, especially university books.

"If you're going to make fun of me, I don't wanna hear it. I've got a headache. I hate that book, and everything that's in it. Seriously, go away," Katsuya mumbled into his hands.

Seto looked down at him, before putting the book down on the table. "What's wrong?"

God, he needed to stop acting like he cared. Katsuya didn't care for it. "What's your deal, anyway? Acting like you care like this."

"If you don't want my help, you only have to say so, Jonouchi. I won't waste my time anymore," Seto scoffed.

He turned away, heading to his room. Katsuya shuffled on the couch, before finally getting up. He was gritting his teeth, trying to swallow his pride. He wasn't going to survive by himself. And it wasn't like Seto wasn't trying to be a good person. He was trying harder than Katsuya at that moment. Which was unbelievable.

Katsuya sighed, giving in. "Do you know anything about this?"

Seto sat down with him. "I was educated in many things. I'm sure this will be nothing."

His bragging didn't help Katsuya, who just rolled his eyes but did not reply. Seto opened the book back up, trying to look for the page they were on. Katsuya couldn't get over it. This guy was suddenly being kind to him. Maybe if Seto would help him with some of his work, Katsuya wouldn't feel bad if he was expected to complete a favour for him.

* * *

Sorry about the wait! I was busy with...a lot of things. Oops.


	4. Chapter 4

Bit of a short one today!

* * *

Before Seto even opened the door, he could hear whoops and yells from his apartment. Either Katsuya was watching some crap on television, or he had given up on studying for the hundredth time. With his hand on the door handle, Seto debated whether to enter. He figured he could just ignore Katsuya in his room. No point in going back outside to avoid him; it was a cold day.

As half-predicted, Katsuya was cheering. Arms in the air, with his phone in one hand, he was still whooping. Seto snorted as he closed the door. Still, he had not been acknowledged. He could just slip into his room and...

"Finally! Gettin' somewhere, here!" Katsuya announced to no one. Seto watched on in wonder. "Can I get a high five in here—?"

He turned around to see Seto staring at him curiously. Though his enthusiasm faltered, his happiness on the inside did not. Then again, Seto was probably unused to the concept of happiness. Without hesitation, he walked towards Katsuya, and slapped his hand, _hard_ , against the other man's. Katsuya winced.

"There you go. Now stop yelling," Seto said, as he went into the kitchen to grab a drink of water.

Katsuya was surprised that Seto had such a strong hit. Not as surprised as he was to receive a high five. His hand was already going pretty red. Shaking his hand, he pouted.

"Spoil sport," Katsuya huffed. "You'll be happy to know I've got a job, and I start next week."  
Not that Seto particularly cared. "Hopefully, you're not going into stripping. Otherwise, you will be owing people money, not the other way around."

Katsuya would like to say he was impressed with that burn, but he was too busy being annoyed by the implication. Like Seto was anything to look at. The only reason girls swooned over him was for the chance at his money. If he was a nobody like Katsuya... Man, there was no point in being bitter about it. Besides, he knew he wasn't ugly. He could be a stripper if he wanted to! The question was, why was he thinking so hard about it? It always took a while for Katsuya to realise Seto was simply trying to irritate.

Too easy. Seto took a small victory sip of his water, before taking it into his room and shutting him in. For once, Katsuya had been stunned into silence. Usually, he would bark out insults while Seto blanks him. Being cruel to his roommate was stress relief for Seto. No, it was not healthy, nor was it fair on Katsuya, but he didn't pause to consider his feelings.

Katsuya didn't really speak to him for the rest of the day. No skin off Seto's back. He went about the rest of his day in peace, for once. But regardless, he still left his roommate some food. No point in breaking habits. In reality, he had just gotten so used to cooking for him that he had forgotten to halve the portion size.

When he started work, Katsuya almost immediately regretted it. Yes, he needed the money, but he could have just sponged off Seto for a little longer. Or, that was what the tired part of him coaxed him into thinking. But he forced himself to shrug it off. His shifts were wedged whenever he could fit them in. Whenever he had time, he would study, or he would do his homework. It didn't take long for him to realise it was killing him.

All he needed was to build up a fund. But that was easier said than done. Katsuya would keep pushing through, to try and build a better life for himself. If he gave up now, where would he have been? He didn't want to think like that, because he couldn't afford to. Maybe once he had built up a bit of money, he could calm down with work.

Often, during shifts, he considered just finding a rich person and marrying them. Just giving up and resigning to a life of a sugar baby. Then he would wake up, and realise this was life. If he wanted a good life, he would work hard for it. Not everyone could be born or adopted or married into a rich family. It was in those times he envied Seto. He didn't have anything serious to worry about.

Seto did have a heart. If Katsuya worked late, there was food made for him. He didn't know it was just a habit, but he didn't need to know. He was just glad to come home to a plateful or bowlful of something, before going to pass out in his rock of a bed.

The first paycheque came through, and Katsuya breathed a sigh of relief. A wave of pride washed over him. It was time to celebrate! Poor, unsuspecting Seto had no idea what was about to happen. But he could only guess when Katsuya burst into his room with a wild grin. The boy had personal space issues. Seto wasn't sure he would ever get used to it.

"I have a door for a reason," Seto said, while typing on his computer.  
The comment went straight over Katsuya's head. "Wanna go out tonight?"  
"Of course, I am always ready for a party," Seto scowled at him. "No."  
"What?" Katsuya blinked. "I'm not talking about a party, rich boy. I'm talking about getting food. You in? I'm payin'."  
"Desperate to spend time with me?" he sounded amused.

Katsuya pulled a face and shuddered. Not an image he wanted of Seto Kaiba. Ever. All he was doing was making an effort to be friends with the guy. No one deserved to be alone. Not even someone like Katsuya, or someone like Seto. Besides, the guy had been nice to him – as nice as he could be. It was only fair that he paid back the favour.

"Alright, got the picture. I'll get food alone, then," Katsuya turned on his heels to leave.  
Seto stayed quiet for a moment. He gave a defeated sigh, before finally glancing over at Katsuya. "Where were you thinking of going?"  
"Does that mean you're coming?" He couldn't help but grin.  
"It depends on _where_."

Seto never ceased to surprise. He was seriously accepting the olive branch that Katsuya was offering. It would come with enough insults to damage his ego a little bit, but he was willing to shrug it off. He got it; Seto was just like he used to be. Bitter, and alone. This was what Yugi would have done. Yeah, saving people from the darkness was his thing, but Katsuya was willing to adopt it, too. No one deserved to face life alone.

Katsuya took his unimpressed roommate to a mid-range restaurant. It wasn't the fancy crap that he was used to, but the food was still pretty good. Seto could do with a lesson in dining like a regular person. If he didn't like it, they could just go to Burger World instead. That threat was enough to make him turn his nose at Katsuya, who just smirked back at Seto. That kept him quiet.

Seto didn't know what to pick. It had been a good while since he had eaten commoners' food that he wasn't sure what to pick. The cheapest item on the menu to save Katsuya's wallet and save further headaches would be a good idea, unless he could manage to slip some money in without being noticed. No need to break the bank to try to impress a rich kid, or whatever the hell Katsuya was plotting.

He remained quiet as he perused the menu. Katsuya was mumbling to himself as he searched through the menu himself. It had been ages since he had gone out for food like this. Choosing was so difficult when there were so many options! Though he had to be careful; he had savings, but they weren't plentiful. But, it would be fine. It was just once, and then, he could just tighten his belt.

Finally, they had both made their choices. Seto settled on something small. He didn't like his roommate, but he didn't want to wreck his wallet. He had some decency. Katsuya, on the other hand, ordered something relatively large. Typical. The boy had a bottomless stomach. When food arrived, Seto awkwardly poked at his food. He couldn't help it; he was a snob. But Katsuya was already face-first in his.

Finally, Seto had enough. He dropped his fork with a defeated clink. "Why are you doing this?"  
"Mm?" Katsuya swallowed his mouthful of food. "What's 'this'?"  
"This." He gestures to the table. "Why the hell are you bothering? We don't like each other, and don't pretend otherwise."

Katsuya paused for a moment. The truth wasn't going to go down well, not if he knew Seto Kaiba. The slightest display of pity and he would have escaped from the building faster than a startled bird. Being delicate wasn't Katsuya's best quality, either.

"Alright, look, we gotta be nicer to each other." Sensing hostility from Seto, Katsuya sucked in his breath. He didn't want conflict. Not yet. "Do you really want a whole year of fighting? In high school, yeah, whatever. But this means a lot to me, and I'm not gonna let you blow it."

Katsuya had put in too much effort for Seto to ruin it now. He had worked so hard to get here, and somehow, he had made it. That was only a small part of why he was doing this. But Seto didn't need to know that. Katsuya looked him dead in the eye as he spoke. Seto seemed a little stunned by the honesty, but only for a moment. His face soon switched back to serious.

"Fine. I have nothing to gain from you," Seto admitted. "But don't expect friendship from me. I don't do friendship."

Eh, well...a partial victory was better than nothing. Seto could at least say he would stop being such a jackass. But Katsuya was more interested in forming some sort of friendship with him. And paying him back for feeding him. It was fine, he would wear Seto down like Yugi had worn Katsuya himself down. Life was much better with friends.

In the time it took for Katsuya to go to the bathroom, Seto managed to sneak in the money to pay for food. If he wanted a truce, then he would need to accept Seto paying for food. Not like it was even expensive, but he had the money for it, anyway. He relaxed in his chair for a moment. A truce. What a strange concept. The two had hated each other for years, and now Katsuya wanted a truce?

Well, in all fairness, Seto started it. He had started it by cooking for Katsuya. But it wasn't like that took any extra effort. Pfft. This was a trap, wasn't it? Seto wasn't going to be fooled by kindness. When Katsuya came back, he was unhappy to find that the bill had already been paid, and demanded to go halves on it. Seto refused.

The next day, he found around three thousand extra yen stuffed into his bag. He shook his head with a scoff. Typical Katsuya.


	5. Chapter 5

"Good! You're home."

Katsuya was waiting for him near to the doorway with a big smile.. Seto rolled his eyes. Oh boy, this could have only been good.

"You going to Domino any time soon?" Katsuya asked. "If not, then I'll find my own way."  
"This weekend. If you want to come along, ask." Seto was already annoyed.  
"...sorry. Yeah, I'd like a ride, if you're going." He was big enough of a person to admit he did wrong.  
"Maybe. If you can try to stop yourself from irritating me for a whole week. Good luck."

Seto walked off into his room. He was a little happy to have the company, he supposed. Maybe it would help him keep his mind off seeing his father. Gozaburo would not be around much this time, but that was not the point. The thought of seeing him was enough to leave him on-edge. The man didn't even need to be around to control him.

Katsuya, on the other hand, had no intention on seeing his father, or any of his family members. His intention was to stay with Yugi, to see their friends. He would need to call Yugi to make sure that this weekend would be alright, but he couldn't imagine why it wouldn't be. He smiled to himself. It had been a good while since they had seen each other.

It was strangely kind of Seto to offer him a lift. Katsuya was a little suspicious. What was he going to have to do in return? Dress in a dog suit and run around barking at university? No thanks. He would rather pay for the train ticket. Katsuya wasn't that cheap. His dignity was worth more.

The weekend soon came, and before they knew it, they both had their overnight bags packed. Both of them waited by the door. Thinking to himself, he realised this was the first time Katsuya had gone home since starting school. He couldn't stop grinning. Seto had his arms folded, fingers tapping his elbow. Once the driver arrived, their bags were placed in the boot and the two of them took their seats.

The car was large and spacious, and it did not take an expert to realise this was an expensive car. Katsuya felt like he needed to take his shoes off upon entering. He stretched his legs, something not a lot of cars allowed him to do. Oh yeah, this was the life.

"What a cool car," Katsuya sighed wistfully.  
"My father insists on travelling in style," Seto explained.

He didn't need to explain. If Katsuya was rich, he would travel in all sorts of fancy cars. It wasn't fair knowing someone like Seto; he got a good taste of richness, but it was not his own. He was so lucky to live this life, while people like Katsuya were stepped on every day. It was not fair. Spoilt little rich boy. Seto did not pay attention to the envious looks. He should have been used to them at that point.

Silence. Katsuya stared out of the window. What was he supposed to do? It would have been just as awkward on a train, he told himself. Next time, he would find his own way, if this was how it was always going to be. Probably. Seto looked straight ahead into the windscreen. He seemed like a statue, hard and unmoving. If Katsuya just poked him...

"The little game shop near our old school," Seto said, finally breaking the silence. He jumped with a small gasp. "That's where you're headed."  
Katsuya nodded. "Huh, you remembered. I'm staying with Yugi. You remember him, right?"  
Not staying with family? That was a small surprise. "Yes. He used to follow you around, and then, you followed him around."  
"Shut up," Katsuya crossed his arms. "Anyway, that place kinda became my home back in school. Me and Yugi'd duel all the time in that place, and it turned into setting up tournaments. Mostly 'cause kids wanted to duel Yugi. He'd always win."

Seto didn't say anything. He heard all the legends about Yugi. The shrimp had garnered a reputation for his duelling skills. Seto never had the time to duel him, but one day, he would. When that day came, he was sure to win. That would be another time, though.

"He's a really cool guy. I wouldn't be who I am without him."  
"Then, are you saying he's the reason you're so irritating?"

Katsuya bit his tongue. It was one thing chewing Seto out when they were home. It was another when he was in Seto's car, where he could easily be thrown into a ditch. This truce lasted longer than he had expected; this was the first insult he had endured in a couple of weeks. It wasn't all bad, but he was also insulting Yugi with his sharp little comment. If they were at home…man.

Seto knew what he was like. His defence mechanism was kicking in and, unfortunately, Katsuya was the one on the receiving end. As per usual. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't barking insults at Seto right back, nor was he flailing around angrily. Seto scared himself when he realised he actually cared about the reason for a moment.

It wasn't much longer until they arrived. Katsuya's excitement only grew as he was left alone, while Seto remained at the same level of dread. He didn't have to see Gozaburo for once, he reminded himself. This weekend was purely about spending time with Mokuba. To top it all off, it was a Katsuya-free weekend. What was not to love about it? Yet, everything about that mansion made his skin crawl.

Katsuya quickly pulled a bit of paper from his backpack and a pen. He scribbled something down on a bit of paper, before handing it over to Seto, who raised an eyebrow at him. Before he got a chance to look, Katsuya spoke.

"It's my number, in case plans change or...or something."  
Oh good. Illegible. Seto's favourite. "I hope you aren't seriously expecting me to—"  
"Just keep it. It's just good to stay in the loop with you, you know."

Katsuya was being serious, for once. He couldn't think that Seto was just going to abandon him when it came to going home, right? Oh, that was rich. He was so tempted to just leave him. The only thing stopping him was that Katsuya would find his way home eventually, somehow. Seto would never hear the end of it. He made a show of putting the number in his phone, before folding the note and placing it carefully in his pocket.

Katsuya was dropped off at the game shop's front door. Yugi was outside at the time, putting up some sort of poster, and his eyes widened when he saw Katsuya emerge from the roomy car. He truly felt like a movie star. Why couldn't he have lived with Seto sooner? He could have always gotten lifts like this. The moment he was out of the car, it sped off. If Katsuya had not just come out of it, he would have believed it was all in his head.

"I can't believe he agreed to take you here," Yugi said quietly. "You know Kaiba."

"Can't believe it either, really. Who knew Kaiba could be kinda decent?" Katsuya mumbled. "But, hey, enough about that!" He pulled Yugi into a hug. "I'm so happy to see you. And when everyone else gets here, it's gonna be a party!"

Yugi laughed. It had been far too quiet without his best friend. At least they had Skype, and their phones when either of them had credit. At the moment, he had taken over the shop. Sugoroku had realised he was getting too old. Though he kept busy around the shop with Yugi, it was nowhere near as often as it used to be.

Katsuya had decided he would help that day, instead. He needed to earn his keep. Plus, if Yugi was less busy, they could talk more. The rest of the gang was coming over in the evening. Katsuya was looking forward to this all week. It was far nicer to hang out with actual friends, and not his roommate.

Yet, in the Kaiba household, all was still. Too still. Seto was on edge, despite knowing that his father would not be here this weekend. He placed his small suitcase into his room, before going to find Mokuba. Thankfully, he was in his room, quiet, unaware that his brother had just gone through the door, until he cleared his throat. Mokuba grinned and put down his laptop.

They hung out for the day. Seto could ignore the looming deadlines for a couple of hours, and Mokuba could spend time with his older brother. Seto was going to enjoy this time together for as long as possible, before that rebellious phase started to hit for sure. Once that started, they may not hang out like this anymore.

Or worse, Mokuba could start lashing out at the wrong people. That would stop them from seeing each other for sure, as punishment, and Seto would most likely be to blame. He didn't want that to happen, either. But how would one stop a rebellious teenager? He needed to figure that out before it was too late.

It was almost ten at night. Seto did not sleep. He sat at his desk, finishing homework. Really, he should have started this sooner. It wasn't like he would be able to sleep, not at his father's house. His phone was by his work. Usually, it would not be there. It would be somewhere where it could not distract him. But, that was exactly what Seto was hoping for.

What was he thinking? Seto sighed, picking up his phone. He wasn't thinking. Not anymore. He was bored. It was late. The worst he would get is ignored, and then receive a text a few hours later. That, too, would have suited him.

'Jonouchi. This is Kaiba Seto.'

Katsuya's phone buzzed while he was watching some sort of trash film with his friends. None of them were paying attention; it was just in the background. While Hiroto and Anzu were in heavy discussion about something, Katsuya took this time to check his phone. Huh? Seto? He didn't except a text from him. He smiled. Man, he really was starting to get through to that stubborn rich kid.

"Oh!" Anzu's voice caught his attention. "What's that smile for?" She had that look in her eyes that told Katsuya to run. But he didn't. "Don't tell me you like someone."

Katsuya's face fell. What. That was the only word that ran through his mind. He hadn't met anyone. Just Seto. But, uh, he wasn't going to admit that was why he was smiling. There were just some things you do not say. That was one of them. Plus, they would get the wrong idea, and that was…

"No way! This is just—" He just could not say that it was Seto. "It's just some guy I know. He sent me a text and—"  
"Oh?" Hiroto was practically singing. His arm wrapped tightly around Katsuya's shoulders, who was desperately trying to fight him off. "Doesn't seem like a 'just' to me!"  
"What would you know?!" Katsuya looked over at Yugi. "A little help here, please?"

Yugi just laughed before stopping the group from dogpiling on Katsuya. It was a good thing Yugi was there to save him! Katsuya was glad to be back in Domino City, with his friends. He had forgotten how intrusive they could be, though. Then again, he couldn't say anything. If any of the others were in his position, he would have joined in the dogpiling.

Especially if that friend liked Seto Kaiba. Well, who wouldn't, in their own way? He was rich. Anyone would have him as a sugar daddy! No, he had no idea why he was thinking of this, either. Shaking off his thoughts, he tapped out a reply to Seto.

'something up?' Katsuya did say to contact in case of emergency. Thinking about it, it was ridiculous for him to be happy. Seto was probably texting him to let him know he would need to find his own way home.

Seto had given up on Katsuya some time ago, deciding instead to go back to his work. The unfortunate part was that he had no interest in work that night. It was rare that his attention span was this low. Usually, he had some sort of reasoning. That reason was either his father, or Katsuya. But this time, he had no reason. Gozaburo was on a trip, and Katsuya was nowhere near him.

Was that the problem? Maybe he had gotten so used to background noise that he could not focus as well without Katsuya yelling about who-knows-what. Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe that was a real, possible reason. Ugh. He would need to start pulling away from Katsuya. Otherwise, it was going to be tough when they no longer lived together.

Finally, Katsuya decided to reply. In a way, this was a win. Seto was looking for a distraction. It was a shame he had sunk so low to talk to Katsuya. God, if he wanted a friend, he should have tried to find someone better.

'No.'

Could he have said more than that? Probably. But he didn't really want to talk to Katsuya; he wanted a distraction, not a late-night philosophical discussion on whatever the hell was on his mind. Then why the hell did he text him? God, Seto didn't know. He wasn't sure what was going through his mind anymore.

'so you contact me for nothing yeah thats cool'  
'Don't be a child.' A minute later, he sent another text. 'I am just making you aware this is my number. Goodnight.'

Oh, for God's sake. And there he thought those two were going to actually have a decent conversation. Katsuya wouldn't have minded that. Some time when they weren't just being cold or agreeable with each other. Just, two guys hanging out. That was what Katsuya was after.

Wait. What was he thinking? His thoughts were awfully centred around his dumb roommate.

About an hour after the film had finished, Hiroto and Anzu went home. They had no choice; both had to be up in the morning, and the four of them together meant they would be up all night. One day, they would have to come over to see Katsuya. It would have been great having them over, staying up all night and eating crap. Just like back in school.

It was just Yugi and Katsuya. Having enough of the day, they decided it was time to call it a night. The sleeping bag was already unrolled in Yugi's room, meaning Katsuya could just curl up and die inside of it. The unfortunate thing was that he could not sleep. Luckily for him, nor could Yugi. Katsuya sighed.

"She's right, isn't she?" Yugi asked. His bluntness surprised Katsuya. He sat up to look at his friend.  
"What're you talking about?" One look at him told Katsuya everything. There was no use playing dumb. "No! No. God. I'm just trying to get through to Kaiba. Like you did with me."

He wasn't stupid. He knew Yugi had his weird suspicions, and he knew that Yugi thought there was probably something else. All his friends were thinking the same thing. No one had any faith in Katsuya. He could talk to someone without having feelings for them. Especially with this guy. Ugh.

The next morning, Katsuya had to wait for Seto at the shop. Yugi did not mention the night before, and if he suspected something, he certainly didn't let it show now. He was too decent to embarrass him further. Katsuya could shove all that to the back of his mind. If he didn't mention it, no one would remember it. That was how he saw it, anyway.

Seto arrived at the agreed upon time. Why did Katsuya expect any different? Saying a quick goodbye to Yugi, he bounded out the shop and to the car. Though when he got into the car, Seto was just staring out the window. Was he being a baby about last night?

"You okay?" Katsuya frowned at him.  
"Mind your own business," Seto said calmly.

Seto had a reason for keeping his distance. The previous night, he had a strange, vague dream. He couldn't quite make it out, but he knew he was lying in grass with Katsuya. He could remember the sound of a gentle laugh. Something about that made his stomach twist in a way that he was not comfortable with. He was not in control of this. He hated it.

He could have just told Katsuya, but he didn't want to. In his mind, he knew damn well this was something to keep to himself. Instead, he would just keep his distance until his mind settled. The trip home was silent, and that was the way Seto liked it. When he wasn't talking to Katsuya, his mind could settle, to focus on something else.

 _Anything_ else.


	6. Chapter 6

/lies down carefully

So. Okay, this has been yet another long gap in between chapters. I'm hopeless, but I've been writing for the Reaper76 Big Bang since March, which has been murder. Now that I'm sick of looking at that, I can finally update this! Sorry if it's a bit disjointed from the rest or whatever; I haven't looked at this in so long.

Also! I have a Ko-Fi page ( /A0751TZT)! Any donation is appreciated and you get a little something out of it c:

* * *

"Hey!" Katsuya yelled before Seto could get out the door. "Are you going to class? Now?"  
"Yes." Seto opened the door.  
"Wait for me! I was gonna head out in a sec anyw—"  
"No."

And that was it. Seto was out the door. Ever since they had come back from Domino City, Seto had been unwilling to walk with him. And if they talked, it was usually one-word answers on Seto's part. He sought after the solidarity of his room, slamming the door shut when he entered to really drive home the point. It was unnecessary, yes, but he needed to get the point across that he was mad. He just wasn't sure why he was so mad when he saw Katsuya's face. Was it anger? It was like a knife twisting in his heart. Whatever it was, Seto wasn't going to deal with it.

Katsuya thought Seto was being an ass for no good reason. It wasn't like Katsuya was an ass to him to begin with! For once, he could say he was innocent. Yet the look Seto gave him was like he had hurt Mokub, or like they had gone back in time to how they were just half a year ago. In between studying and working, he didn't have the energy to fight him or confront him on this. For now, he just needed to put up with it.

This had been going on for about a week. As time crept on, Katsuya didn't know how long he could handle this hostility for. Again. After they had agreed to stop being asses to each other. Maybe he could muster time and energy into a small fight, just for them to resolve…whatever the hell this was _this_ time.

He put on his shoes and went off to class. In his hand, he furiously tapped out a text to Seto.

'wtf is your problem lately'

Oh good. Seto should have seen this one coming. He could admit he was keeping his distance on purpose, but not why. Every time he cast his gaze onto Katsuya, he remembered the vague dream he had. Every time he remembered the dream, the blanks started to fill themselves, and the last thing Seto wanted was to remember the full dream.

Seto had to justify this dream to himself. It was the fact that Katsuya was a safe presence, of course. In the past couple of months, even when angry, he did not take it out on Seto. Katsuya was probably one of the kindest people he had met, especially in the years he had spent dealing with his father and his little lackeys, making Katsuya one of the two most positive influences in his life.

Even after rationalising it, he felt like he still couldn't look Katsuya in the eye. What the hell was wrong with him? Seto sighed to himself. It wasn't like he could take time away to regroup; he lived with Katsuya. Ugh. He was looking forward to the end of the year already.

'I have work to do. I don't have time to play with you.'  
'not asking for company just asking why you need to be such a dick'

Seto stopped for a moment. No need to answer this truthfully, but there was no kind alternative. Instead, he typed out something harsh instead.

'We aren't friends. I don't have to pretend that we are.'

Ouch. Katsuya visibly flinched at that, but forced himself to shrug it off. Seto was right; they were never friends.

'omg im asking you to be nicer not to be best friends'

'I am nice. Nicer to you than to most people. Stop whining.'

Katsuya stared at that text in confusion for a moment. What was that supposed to mean? He can't go from basically 'I hate you' to that.

'i dont know why im talking to you'

Seto snorted.

'Then don't.'  
'fine i wont'  
'Goodbye.'  
'fuck you'

Seto didn't bother to reply. He had already made it to the sanctuary of the library, with an iced coffee in hand. There was no way Katsuya would come in here, even if he was looking for him. It wouldn't have crossed his mind to look. Heh. There Seto was, hiding in the library like a child. It made him wonder what the hell he was doing. Why was he doing this?

It reminded him of when they had first moved in together - ack then, he wanted to grab his stuff and leave, but he didn't. Because he was a grown up now. Katsuya was less obnoxious now than he was at the start. And it wasn't like he was that bad. That was the problem, though. At least if he was unbearable, he could handle that appropriately.

Even by himself, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Katsuya Jonouchi. For fuck's sake. Seto buried his head in a book and got to work. The only way to settle his stupid mind was to focus on something else, and to an extent, it worked. Until he took a break to turn the page, and it started all over again.

Katsuya rushed to university. He had time, of course, but he was hoping to catch up with Seto. He never stood a chance; he was taller and a faster walker, especially when he wanted to get somewhere. God, the moment he saw Seto, he promised himself that he would grab his roommate by the shoulders and shake him until the sense came out, like fruit from a tree.

Gah, he was just killing himself over this inside. Why was he so damn focused on what Seto thought of him? He didn't care, or rather, he shouldn't care. He shouldn't care, yet he did, and it was driving him nuts. The moment he got to class, he felt relieved. Finally, he had something else to occupy his full mind.

Katsuya had given up, leaving Seto to his own devices. If he wanted to be an ass, then fine, just as long as he remained to be a calm ass, and not an aggressive one. He couldn't help but feel guilty for giving up, but he wasn't about to chase Seto until they became friends. Katsuya wasn't desperate, and he would much rather be alone. He could make more friends in his classes, anyway. Not befriending his roommate wasn't the worst thing, right?

Katsuya's absence was noted in Seto's life. He wasn't sure how to feel about it; they weren't friends in the first place. But it was the simple things like eating dinner together, or listening to Katsuya complain about the most ridiculous things that made Seto realised that pushing him away was a mistake.

But he was too stubborn to say anything, so for a little while longer, Seto just learnt to live with it. A few months ago, he was happy to live without friends, but now he had a feel for what a _friend_ was. And as much as he wished he never knew the feeling, Seto was sure that he didn't want to lose Katsuya's friendship. He had fucked up. He could admit that.

Seto started to lose sleep over worrying, but the only hint of that were small bags under his eyes, which were easy enough to conceal. He was used to not sleeping, after all, so he functioned relatively well. When he saw Katsuya, he would pause to say something but, in the end, did not bother. The only interaction they had lately was Seto letting him know food was ready, and Katsuya responding in some way.

He couldn't believe how much he missed the company of the blond but, like an idiot, he secluded himself in his room. But what was he to do? Too stubborn to apologise, or try to reconcile in some way. Yes, Seto knew he was an idiot, and an asshole, and inconceivably selfish, but that did not spur him on to being a better person.

He forced himself into his work, but even that suffered a steady decline in quality. Fuck. Frustrated, he knocked all the papers off his desk and buried his face in his hands, elbows on the desk's surface and breathing heavily through his fingers. Even when they weren't friends, Katsuya was all he could think about.

He needed a drink, so he rose from his chair and left his room for the first time in what seemed like days. Rubbing his eyes, he poured himself a glass of water and sighed. He did consider speaking to Katsuya when he got in, but what would that have solved? Seto was just going to make an ass out of himself, and Seto Kaiba did not like making an ass out of himself.

Katsuya had come home early, it seemed, as the front door closed, gently, but hard enough for Seto to hear it. Damn, now he needed to manoeuvre away from his roommate without seeming like he was avoiding him. Well, more than he was. Carefully, he made his way out the kitchen, only to find Katsuya already at the door. For God's sake.

Seto's features hardened as he laid eyes on him, defensive. Katsuya rolled his eyes and pushed past him.

"Don't have time for your crap, Kaiba," he said, rummaging through the cupboards for some sort of snack.  
Seto stood there for a moment, swallowing the hurt. "Good for you."

The cupboard door slammed, and Seto looked behind him to see the commotion. He saw Katsuya, hands planted firmly on the worktop.

"I don't get you, Kaiba. One second, you hate me, and that's fine. Then, when it's convenient, you act like we're friends." Katsuya scoffed. "But now you're bored of that. So now you hate me again. Fuck, can I at least know what I've done wrong this time?"  
Seto wanted to tell him what was wrong, but it sounded so stupid. He sighed softly to himself. "Nothing." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.  
"Nothing," Katsuya echoed, with a barely restrained laugh. "So you're being like this for nothing, as always. God, and I thought finally, we'd... I don't care. I'm done."

Katsuya pushes past Seto once again and stormed off into his room. He stood there for a moment, but finally gave up, and simply decided to retreat to his room with his drink.

Seto closed the door softly behind him, and put his drink down somewhere. He held his face in one hand and breathed in deeply. He leaned against his door heavily, as if his legs no longer had the strength to carry him.

It was strange, to him, that Katsuya was the first and only person – bar Mokuba, of course – that made Seto feel like the ass he was. Perhaps that was part of the reason he was extra rude to his undeserving roommate. It was too late to apologise now; Katsuya would have just broken his spine.

The next day came and went, with Seto wondering where the day had gone. He counted on spending a couple of hours preparing an actual apology, but school and personal projects had eaten his time. Katsuya was going to be late home at least, giving Seto some time to prepare.

He kept writing down various speeches, reading through, and binning the paper he had written it on. An empty basket soon found itself overflowing with paper. Hours passed, and Seto was still no closer. Instead, he managed to empty out an entire new notepad.

He buried his head in his arms. It was a simple apology from the heart, not rocket science! Actually, Seto was convinced trying rocket science would have been simpler than this. He did not do apologies. He did not do heartfelt.

Seto had enough, and needed a break. He left his room to go and grab a snack, yet something felt off. Usually, there was some sort of trace of Katsuya, like a sock in the middle of the floor, or a glass on the table with no coaster. Seto looked around and everything was in its place.

He stopped in his tracks and went back, towards Katsuya's bedroom this time. He knocked once, and there was no answer. He knocked harder, and still nothing. Seto clicked his tongue and put his hand on the handle.

"Jonouchi Katsuya, ignoring people is _rude_."

When he opened the door, he found an empty room. Not a trace of life. Panic slowly rose to Seto's chest as he entered the room and began to rifle through the drawers that came with the apartment, yet there was nothing. Not one item was in the drawers. He took a step back and realised he was alone.

This was not what he wanted. Seto thought he was so used to being alone, being _lonely_ , that if he lived alone he wouldn't have felt a difference. But God, he did. What happened? What had he done?

His heart in his throat, Seto sat up. Blinking, he looked around, shielding his eyes from the light. A dream, how cliché. He rolled his eyes, before looking at the time. Dammit, Katsuya was going to be home soon, and Seto had nothing.

He got up and paced, quickly trying to scramble something together before he realised. For it to be truly heartfelt, it could not be calculated or planned. It would simply have to be spur of the moment. With a deep breath, he went off into the living room and grabbed a book.

As he thought, it didn't take Katsuya much longer to come home. He looked completely beaten down, more than usual. Seto frowned at him; had he even been looking after himself? Katsuya looked over at him, but it didn't register for a moment. When he looked back again, he made a small gasp of surprise.

"Fuck, Kaiba, it's 1am. Go to bed," Katsuya whispered. He took off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen.  
"I don't sleep, Jonouchi," he stated calmly.  
"Great for you. We can't all be special," Katsuya rolled his eyes.

Katsuya rifled for a quick bite to eat before going to bed, and when he emerged with his snack and Seto was still there, he was less than impressed. Figuring Seto had something to say, he sat down. His eyes narrowed into a glare as Seto put down his book.

"I'd like to start with an apology," Seto said.  
"God, I don't wanna argue with y—wait, what?" Katsuya spluttered at the end.

Seto needed to hide his amusement. "You heard right. I have been unnecessarily rude towards you, and for that, I want to issue an apology."  
"You're making it sound like an essay," Katsuya said. "...y'know, in an essay, you're supposed to explain your point. Or, uh, your apology, I guess," he tried to press.

Seto really wanted to laugh then. Katsuya was bold, and he supposed that was one of the things he liked about him. No homo, of course. Seto folded his hands over his lap as he thought of how to formulate his explanation.

"I don't expect forgiveness for any of this. I don't care whether we're friends or not." A blatant lie, but Seto did not like being attached to someone. "Lately, I have simply been wondering whether our relationship is a good idea or not. That's all." Not strictly a lie this time, at least.

Katsuya stared at him in silence, and for the first time since Seto had known him, that was a piercing glare. Seto felt his heart change beat. Was this how people felt when he stared at them? It felt so off with Katsuya.

"And you couldn't just say that?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, tiredness trying to pull him down. "Kaiba, why—" He sighed. "Why the hell do you think this is a bad idea? It's just friendship."  
"How many friends do you think I've had?" Seto's stare narrowed and, suddenly, Katsuya understood.  
Quietly, he uttered only, "Oh." Katsuya looked away for a minute. "Is that way you're such a shit friend?"  
"There was probably a better way to put that," Seto spat. Katsuya was tired; he could be forgiven this once. "Again, I don't care what you think of me now. I have said my piece, and now I'm going to bed." He got up from the couch. "Go to bed, Katsuya."

Seto went into his bedroom, with a weight lifted off his shoulders. He undressed and slid into bed, but the anxiety could not be shaken off. He supposed it was due to this whole drama with Katsuya, but he would know how he felt the next day. For now, all Seto could do was try to sleep it off.


	7. Chapter 7

GUYS! It's been a full year TODAY since I posted this fic! I know like a chapter every 2 months is shoddy, but life gets hold and blah blah. Anyway! Thanks for sticking around for so long, and hope you'll still be here when I finish this in 4 years, at this rate.

* * *

A couple of days passed before they spoke again. Not because they didn't want to talk, but more due to an unfortunate clash of schedules. It wasn't so bad, though. Seto could stand to wait a few days without talking, and if Katsuya wanted to tell him that badly, he knew where Seto lived. He wasn't going to beat himself up over it.

Seto woke up that morning and made his way straight to the kitchen to feed his hopeless caffeine addiction, after another terrible night's sleep. Katsuya was already there, eating just plain bread like some sort of savage. Could he not even bother to toast it?

"If I didn't cook, what would you eat?" he asked as he placed two bits of bread into the toaster. It made him seem like a hypocrite, but he was a hungry and cranky hypocrite.  
Katsuya looked at his bit of bread and shrugged. "Dunno. Boxed crap, I guess?"

Seto rolled his eyes, but Katsuya had a point. Though, he still wasn't the best cook, but he was getting better, and he could at least say he was making an effort. Unlike Katsuya, who would live off toast if allowed. As long as they lived together, Seto could not allow that.

"You need to eat well to stand a chance at making it through the day."  
"It's why I've got you," Katsuya winked.

Seto's stomach turned at that unnecessary wink - what a strange man. He grabbed butter out of the fridge, just in time for the toast to pop out. Carefully, he grabbed each slice and put them on a plate. Dammit, stupid little things hurt to touch.

"Actually, Kaiba, I've been thinkin'. I, uh, just wanted to say thanks. You know, for all the crap you do," Katsuya mumbled and scratched the back of his head. "If there's anything I can do, then, just let me know."  
Seto stopped mid-spread. "You could start by clearing away your mess in our living areas."  
Katsuya laughed. "You know I won't." For a fleeting moment, he saw Seto smile, a rare sight indeed.  
"I'm aware."

Katsuya laughed to himself. Some things about their relationship never changed, no matter what they did.

"And, as a warning, Mokuba is coming over this weekend, so if you could at least pretend you're not a slob for a weekend, I would be grateful." Seto took a bite out of his lazy breakfast, finally realising how hungry he was.

It was only from Saturday evening until Sunday evening, but Katsuya didn't need to know that. For once, he could tidy up his damn socks and cups, as that would not kill him. But also, it forced Katsuya to not stay in boxers all day in the living room, because Lord knows Seto did not want to see that.

Katsuya dumped his stuff in the sink to be washed later, most likely by Seto when he had a minute. He seemed to be allergic to cleaning, but Seto knew that even before they moved in together. But he wasn't that bad, not always, and Seto could appreciate that.

"You know I'm just gonna leave crap everywhere now, right?"  
"You do that, and I will personally see to it that your life will be hell for the next month," Seto warned.

Katsuya laughed as he walked out the room, waving a dismissive hand at him. He had every intention to help Seto, but leaving him on edge for a little longer was funny. Through the week, he left his crap laying around through the whole apartment, and though Seto said nothing, Katsuya knew that it bothered him.

It didn't bother him enough to cause issues, as Seto knew that, come the weekend, it would all be gone. If it wasn't, well, it wasn't Seto's problem where it was put, was it? But, as he knew all along, come Saturday morning and it was all gone. Maybe this friendship stood a chance, after all.

The buzzer that evening made Katsuya jump off the couch and off to the door, and by the time Seto had gotten out of his room, Katsuya had already answered. Oh boy. He could see on the security camera that it was Mokuba, and he was already expecting Katsuya to say something stupid. He folded his arms over his chest, watching in silence.

"Hey there," Katsuya said.  
"Uh, hi?" Mokuba looked around, and when he spotted the security camera, he waved halfheartedly. Kid was observant. "Is Seto Kaiba home?"  
Katsuya snorted. "Nah kid, he doesn't live—"  
Seto elbowed him in the ribs - hard enough to shock, but not hurt - and took the phone off him. "Mokuba. It's me. I'll let you in, give me a second."

Seto hung up and pressed the button, while Katsuya held his hand over his side. Fucking dick. He was still groaning when Mokuba came in, and at that point it was obvious that all he wanted as attention or an apology of some kind, but neither of the Kaiba brothers would extend him the courtesy. When Mokuba came in, Katsuya managed to catch a glimpse of Seto Kaiba smiling. Was it just him, or was Seto smiling more often?

Mokuba pounced on him, wrapping his arms tightly around Seto's waist. Always a hugger, despite Seto not being into hugs, but he didn't mind. He was getting taller and taller with each time they saw each other, and soon, Mokuba would most likely be the taller brother. That was scary to think about.

"You could at least tie up your nest," Seto said, fiddling with some of the blackness.  
Mokuba pulled away and brushed his hand down his hair. "Oh yeah, I guess it really does look like a mess."

Not that it would stop Mokuba, though. He reached into his bag and brushed his hair quickly, though no matter what he did, it always looked like a mess. He glanced over at Katsuya, who had since gone back to the couch.

"So, Jonouchi Katsuya, huh?" Mokuba said, loud enough for him to hear. "He's exactly like you said."  
"What's that supposed to mean? Kaiba, what sorta lies are you reading him?" Katsuya barked, squirming a little.  
"Come on, Mokuba. I'm making dinner."  
"Hey!"

Mokuba grinned at Katsuya, before running off into the kitchen with Seto. Little troublemaker, as always. Seto pulled out a couple of pots and pans as Mokuba watched him curiously.

"What?"  
"I didn't know you could cook," Mokuba shrugged.

Seto had to learn, that was all there was to it. The less resources he took from his father, the better, and he didn't really want a cook in the apartment, anyway. Besides, Seto needed to know how to fend for himself. Though his father taught him many things, he never taught him how to be self-sufficient, as he assumed Seto would always have people for that.

"So how many times have you yelled at him?" Mokuba asked quietly, leaning in.  
"You're assuming I can't keep ahold of my emotions."

Mokuba was right in his assumptions, but it was none of his business regardless. He laughed with a small snort, but stopped trying to press him, instead focusing his attention on the rest of the kitchen. Seto busied himself by chopping some vegetables. For some reason, he hadn't expected Mokuba to be so nosy. Seto bit the corner of his lip in thought. He didn't need to air out his personal life like this, especially with Katsuya in close proximity.

Mokuba grabbed a drink from the fridge - Katsuya's fizzy crap, but it was opened before Seto could mention it - and took a swig from it. Ah well, too late to say anything now, and it wasn't like there was a soda shortage in the world. He leaned onto to worktop, staring at Seto. No, he wasn't going to air his issues to like. Another glance at Mokuba and… Seto hissed, slamming the knife on the counter.

"Yes, there was a minor... do you really need me to say it?" Seto glared.  
"No. You don't even need to admit it." Mokuba grinned. "You can't go five minutes without yelling at someone. So, what happened?"

Seto paused, then looked at the ajar door. He closed it before going right back to cooking. He didn't want to talk about it, but he also didn't want Mokuba staring for the rest of the night. Fine. In hushed whispers, he mentioned everything, starting from the beginning, all the way to now. Including that weird, vague dream he had.

God, Seto felt uncomfortable. He didn't even want to look at his little brother's reaction, but he glanced over. Mokuba was smiling, and he had that stupid smile on his face that told him exactly what Mokuba was thinking before he said anything.

"So, you like him," Mokuba said as if it was the most obvious thing ever.  
Seto didn't know how to answer that. "Not like that. Don't be stupid," he snapped. "We're friends. It's easier this way."

That word felt so wrong coming out of Seto's mouth. Seto did not have friends; he had associates, classmates, assistants. But Katsuya fit in none of those categories, he was in a league of his own; a roommate and, dare he say, a good friend.

Of course Katsuya was hovering by the door, but he hadn't heard anything. Though he tried, he could barely make out voices over the bubbling of pots and pans. Katsuya placed his ear against the door, slightly increasing his hearing.

"Friends?" Mokuba echoed. Katsuya heard Seto groan. "Sorry, sorry. It's just weird hearing that come out of your mouth."  
"I'm perfectly capable of making friends, Mokuba."  
"Really? Name one friend who isn't an assistant or paid to keep you company," Mokuba said.  
Seto went silent for a moment. "Well, I could name Jonouchi now." He sounded so sure when he said that.

Katsuya's eyes widened. He heard 'friends' and 'Jonouchi' in the same sort of moment, and surely, he had misheard that. Seto considered them friends? Well, he needed to work on that, because Seto was a terrible friend to him over the past while of living together.

"That doesn't count," Mokuba said. "Other than him."  
"The worst part is you already know the answer, but you just keep pressing," Seto hissed.

That was why, then. All Seto had as a friend was his little brother, and though it was better than nothing, it wasn't what Seto needed. Man, Katsuya was starting to feel bad for the guy. Figuring this was enough snooping, he retreated to his room. Katsuya expected Seto to know too much about relationships when, clearly, he was stunted in that regard.

The next morning, Katsuya emerged from his room, with Seto already in the living room, working on his laptop. Seto being awake this early was common, but already being in the living room was rare. Katsuya wasn't sure if Seto knew he was there or not.

"Mokuba took your bed?" He asked.  
"I insisted. He would have slept on the floor otherwise," Seto said without looking up.

There was a lot about him that Katsuya didn't know. He didn't know Seto had a heart, and he did not know Mokuba meant that much to him. Hey, even a walking pile of money had feeling in there, somewhere.

Seto sighed softly. "Yes." He paused for a moment. "Yes please, Jonouchi."

In truth, Seto had not slept. The moment Katsuya left the room, he buried his face in his hands, trying to rub away the dark circles under his eyes. As long as he made little eye contact with both Mokuba and Katsuya, neither of them would notice. Thankfully, he had a couple of hours before Mokuba got up.

Katsuya came back into the room, a cup in each hand, and handed one over to his roommate. Seto took his cup and thanked Katsuya, who nodded and turned the TV on. It didn't bother Seto, since he had no more energy to focus on his work. He felt like he was just going in circles with it and, when he was more awake, he was only going to delete all of it to be rewritten. He hated to admit it, but he needed to go to bed.

"Cute brother," Katsuya commented. Seto didn't respond, but he did stop working. "I've got a sister, you know. Her name is Shizuka, and she lives with my mom. I… I haven't seen her in three years, now. Shit."

Seto wasn't sure what to say to that. Katsuya was never this open with him, and now that he was, it was just weird. He couldn't imagine a world where he could not see Mokuba, where someone would take him away. Katsuya should have fought harder for her, he should have done everything he could to stay with her.

Seto needed to remember that not everyone was like him, and not every sibling relationship was what he and Mokuba had. He was lucky, all things considered.

"I apologise. I can't imagine how hard that is."  
Katsuya waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it." He turned away, quickly wiping his face, before going back to grinning at Seto. "Any other siblings?"  
"One."

Seto hesitated for a moment, before pulling out his phone. He never mentioned him, and honestly, he could go the rest of his life without thinking about him again. Finally scrolling long enough through his photos, he found one from when he was twelve. In the middle was a fourteen year old boy, with blue-green hair, and on each side were Mokuba and Seto. Seeing this photo again sent a shiver down his spine.

"Noah. My older brother," Seto said.  
"No kidding. You two look exactly the same," Katsuya said. "You never mentioned another brother."  
"He didn't like me. I didn't like him. The only thing we have in common is our love for Mokuba," Seto stated, almost like he was reciting an essay. He shook his head. "My father wanted me as a way to push him to work harder. When that failed, my father disowned Noah at eighteen. I haven't seen him since, and that's how I like it. As for Mokuba, he's probably seen him, but I don't want to know."

"You don't really like anyone, do you?" Katsuya joked.  
"I like a couple of people," Seto said as he got up. "Mokuba will be awake soon. I should start making something to eat."

Seto left the room, Katsuya finished off his coffee, which ended up being the coldest damn thing in the world. Ugh. But it wasn't all bad for Katsuya; he managed to make the coldest guy he knew like him, even if it was only a little bit. Baby steps for their relationship.

By around five, Katsuya had grown tired of Mokuba, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he left the brothers alone in the living room. The more he thought about it, the more he realised Mokuba was Seto's opposite. Loud, annoying, kind of a slob, and looking like he spent his childhood in a jungle. If someone put the two of them together without context, Katsuya would have never guessed they were related.

Mokuba had been talking nonstop for a good while as Seto was working, and while it didn't exactly bother him, he did miss the quiet. He wished Katsuya was still out there with them, as it provided a sort of buffer. For a moment, Mokuba stopped, and it was never good when he stopped talking. Seto stopped working, mentally preparing himself.

"Ah, that's right! Dad told me to give you something."

Mokuba went into his backpack and fished out a carefully placed item. Odd, considering everything Mokuba touched looked like it had been mauled by a dog, but he was only a kid and could be forgiven. Seto took the envelope, which had his name beautifully written on it. Inside sat a wedding invite, and he already knew who it was.

"How many times must she get married?" Seto asked. It was his damn aunt, on her fifth wedding to some rich person.  
"I know. Can't believe it's in Paris this time," Mokuba said.  
"It's...what?"

Seto checked the invite again and, surprise, it really did say Paris, and it also suggested bringing a plus one. Uh, no thanks. He didn't even want to go in the first place, especially if it was in Europe. This was ridiculous, she did this every damn time. In two years, they would be divorced, and then the cycle begins anew.

"That's ridiculous," Seto said. "She really expects us to drop our lives for this. As always."  
"I know, right?" Mokuba snorted. "Dad said he hopes you'll bring a 'nice girl' from school to this one."  
"Well, I'll just have to leave him waiting."

Seto placed the pretty card back into its thick envelope. This meant he had to go, regardless of his wishes. He hated these events, and it always ended with an attempt at shoving him with a girl who he had no interest in. Seto always told them he was not interested, and his father was always angry, but in the long run, it spared the poor girls' feelings.

Mokuba zipped his bag back up; all they were doing now was waiting for his ride to arrive. Seto couldn't stop looking at the time, praying that Mokuba would go soon, allowing him to finally rest. Katsuya would care less than Mokuba would if Seto just crashed in his bed for 24 hours, anyway, if his lack of presence was even noticed.

The doorbell rang and, thankfully, it was Mokuba's driver. Sweet, sweet rest. Before he left, he pounced on Seto for one last hug. Seto reciprocated, gently stroking his little brother's hair.

"Please be nice," Mokuba asked.  
"I've been nice enough so far," Seto said.

Mokuba laughed and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and swiftly making his way through the door. Seto sighed. He returned to the living room and found the envelope still sitting there. Crap, couldn't let Katsuya see that. Seto stashed it in a drawer in his room, something to be forgotten about in the coming weeks.

He left his own room and knocked on Katsuya's door. "Jonouchi, what do you want for dinner?"

Besides, why would Seto want to go to a foreign country? It only meant spending more time with Gozaburo, which was the last thing he wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

SO another 2 months pass. This fic isn't dead, I promise you! I thought I'd leave it until Kaiba's birthday to update :3c Hope y'all like 5000 words of Rambling Nonsense

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Exam season was slowly approaching. Seto thrived in exam season; stress was his constant state, anyway. Unfortunately for Katsuya, he couldn't relate. Stress turned him into a sleepless mess, sustaining himself off snacks and coffee, and it reminded Seto of a gremlin. It was somewhat amusing, he had to admit.

Seto made the mistake only once to tell Katsuya to knock off the gremlin act. If he had fangs, he was certain his head would have been bitten off. Literally. If Seto were who he was only a year ago, he would press all sorts of buttons. For once, he left Katsuya to it.

Well, almost.

"If you studied more, you wouldn't be cramming it in now," Seto scoffed as he walked through the living room.

Katsuya had turned the living room into his own study area, which did not bother Seto so much. His only concern was stepping over the field of expensive textbooks. He had seen some of the titles, and raised an eyebrow. What on earth was Katsuya studying, anyway?

"I do, but not everyone has an encyclopedia for a brain."

Katsuya looked up at him, pale-faced, contrasting against the dark bags under his eyes. Seto couldn't hide the small gasp when their eyes met, seeing those cold brown eyes. When did he last sleep? What was the last thing he ate? The coffee table was covered in can after can of energy drink, much to Seto's horror.

Normally, Seto would roll his eyes and walk by, but for whatever reason, this time, he couldn't. He paused, watching him, before grabbing the book carefully out of Katsuya's hands and slamming it shut. He couldn't just walk by and pretend that he didn't know or care that Katsuya was struggling. His lips pressed into a thin line, tucking it under his arm.

"Kaiba, what the hell?" Katsuya jumped to his feet and tried to pull the book out of Seto's grip. Luckily for Seto, he was too weak to try. "I'm trying to study here, so if you don't mind, fuck off."  
"Don't be stupid, you'll kill yourself. Do you really think you can study when you're this tired?" Seto gestured to him with his free hand. "Look at you. You can barely stand."  
Katsuya clicked his tongue. "You sure as hell can. I see you all the time, how tired you are, yet you keep going."

Seto opened his mouth slightly, questions on his tongue and surprise on his mind. He hated how much Katsuya was starting to know about him. A part of him was telling him it was time to pull back from Katsuya again, but he didn't really want to. Maybe it would be good for him to have someone in his corner. Still, he had no business knowing just how bad he could be.

Blindsided by his concern, Katsuya took the book off him once again. He sat back down, flicking through the pages, but Seto could see in his face this was the last thing to he wanted to do. Instead, he stood over Katsuya, and though it looked like he was looking down his nose at him, he really wasn't. Seto held his hand out to him.

"That's enough. Give me the book and go to bed. That's not a suggestion either, Jonouchi." His eyes narrowed as he stared at Katsuya.  
"But-"  
"Believe me, you don't want to be like me." Both Katsuya and Seto looked at each other, surprised he had said that. Seto shook it off. "Give me the book, and when you're awake, I'll show you how to study without killing yourself."

Perhaps it came out a little more condescending than he wanted it to, but Katsuya did not bite back at him, for once. He yawned in response, hiding his face in both hands, before looking back up at Seto. It seemed he finally saw sense, as he grabbed the book and stood up, handed it over to Seto, before going back to his room.

If someone had told Katsuya a year ago that this was his future, he would have laughed. Seto was incapable of kindness, of compassion for his fellow man. That was what Katsuya thought, until they started living together, and maybe now he could believe this guy was capable of caring about something that wasn't himself. Before he could think any more on it, his body caved in to sleep.

When Katsuya woke up twelve hours later, he felt like a train had hit him. His body was sore, resisting his attempts at getting up. His stomach growled, his mouth was dry, and his bladder was about to burst. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just lie there anymore. He rose slowly, the world spinning around him before he remembered.

Shit. Seto still had his books. He had probably put them all 'away' in a neat pile, which would have completely screwed Katsuya over.

Katsuya rubbed his eyes, making his way through the small apartment to do his business. Then, he wandered off to the kitchen to make a sandwich. Ugh, his entire being was so empty. He went back to the living room, and he realised just how out of it he was, like a smack to the face.

He came in to Seto sitting on the floor, a book on his lap and three decks of cards next to him. Two of them were decks of flashcards, neatly hand written by Seto in brightly coloured pens. The other was a deck of Duel Monster cards, but Katsuya didn't understand, or his brain refused to put all the pieces together. Hey, maybe he would finally see the legendary Seto Kaiba's deck.

"Hey." Katsuya greeted. He gestured to whatever this was as Seto looked up, and he hoped he hadn't just sat there for twelve hours. "So, what's this?"  
"You duel, don't you?" Seto shuffled one of the decks. "Don't answer that, I know you do. Go get your deck, and I'll explain."

Katsuya wanted to ask what this was, and how this was relevant to helping him study, but he was just left standing there looking at him. Seto stared up at him, until Katsuya took the hint and went back to his room. Fine, he would get the damn cards, whatever.

His most valuable possessions were not his laptop, his clothes, or his phone, and in fact, not many of his possessions were of value. He fished out a small box from his bedside table, which contained his most valuable item; his deck. Over the years, he had won and been gifted an impressive array of cards, and if he sat down and calculated, he was certain they would be worth a considerable amount. He was certain, one day his father would catch wind of this and steal them, selling them for his own addictions. It was always a relief to see his cards.

He hopped off his bed and made his way back to the living room, deck in hand. Sure, he couldn't beat Yugi - not many duellists could - but Katsuya had participated in countless tournaments, and won. He was aware Seto was smart, aware he was a good duellist, but Katsuya was oddly confident that this would be his weakness.

Seto looked up at him again. "You took your time. Sit down, and I'll explain the rules."

Katsuya shuffled his deck as Seto explained what this was about. As he thought, this was still a duel, but with a key difference. Seto gestured to the flashcards; before every draw, they were to answer a question on the cards. A wrong answer put said card into the graveyard. Katsuya shuffled through the flashcards, horror spreading through his being. They were thorough, while also being concise, and he really needed to ask Seto how he did that. They each held the other side's flashcards, to ensure there would be no cheating.

"I expect you to get all of these right," Seto said, matter-of-factly. "Don't give me any pathetic whining that you can't, and I don't want to hear any excuses. You know the answers, and if you don't, should you really be here?"

Katsuya's brow furrowed as Seto spoke. Who did he think he was, anyway, talking to him like that, like he was an idiot? Those cold blue eyes were soft, no longer looking at him in anger and hatred, and that was when Katsuya realised. Though his tone was harsh, his words icy, this was his way of trying to be encouraging, no matter how terrible a way it was. It certainly did not help, but Seto was trying, and if he could be a decent guy, then anything was possible. Maybe he was right, and he would get every single answer right, but that would have been a miracle.

This thought was soon extinguished as, part way through the duel, most of Katsuya's deck was in the graveyard, much to the horror of both of them. He had wasted so much time, he realised as he looked over at the pile of answered questions. Honestly, he had dug himself into a hole, both in this duel and in his studying. What was he going to do? He swallowed hard as he looked at Seto's side; two Blue Eyes on the field, and Katsuya's life points were pathetic. Seto had gotten every answer right.

His hand was terrible. No traps, no spells, nothing that could save him, except for Red Eyes. But his field was empty, with no way of summoning it. Seto was watching him with that smug smirk that Katsuya just wanted to choke out of him, and suddenly he remembered why they weren't friends in the first place.

"Can't summon?" Seto made no effort to hide the amusement from his tone. "Not like it matters at this stage of the duel, but I'll let you summon whatever is in your hand." Before Katsuya could, however, Seto drew two flashcards. "Answer two questions, first, then I'll let you."

Katsuya frowned. He had no other options, and he had come so far, too far, for it to end here. Though, the way Seto was acting was almost like he was getting off on this. Ugh, this was not the time to think about his kinks. Ever.

Though Katsuya didn't want his charity, he was running a little low on options. "Fine. I want two questions."

Katsuya found himself relying on luck once again, he realised, as he sat there begging for an easy question. Seto read the first flashcard and his eyes widened for a moment, and Katsuya's hopes had been dashed. Maybe Seto just didn't know enough, maybe he was just trying to make Katsuya nervous, he didn't know.

Luckily for Katsuya, his answers were correct. Unfortunately, as he should have known, it was all for nothing, as Seto still had two Blue Eyes on his field. Still, it was better to go down with a fight. When Seto called his attack, it was over, and Katsuya's life points dropped to zero, the same as his mood.

What had Katsuya been doing for the past few months? He had been working hard every day, at work, in class, and at home. Sure, sometimes he had taken some time to relax, but not always. Maybe he had taken too many days off, maybe he should stop taking a break and actually focus, for once in his life. Despite what Seto said, Katsuya still wanted to be more like him; who knew that he would end up being a positive influence?

Katsuya sucked in a deep, shaking breath through his teeth, gathering up his cards back into their original two piles. He slammed the flashcards down, before almost throwing his deck at a bewildered Seto.

"Cut the cards. We're going again."

Seto looked down at the cards that had been shoved into his hands, confused for a moment. He wasn't one for symbolism, or any poetic nonsense, but he knew what these cards meant. Seto had underestimated who Katsuya Jonouchi was, and what kind of fire lay in his stomach. Whatever drove him made Seto curious, for whatever it was must have been strong. He smirked, gathering up his own cards and handing them over to Katsuya to cut.

No matter how many losses, or incorrect answers, and no matter how much humiliation he endured, he just kept going. Never before had Seto seen someone so determined, someone who wasn't himself, anyway.

But even the strongest people cracked. Katsuya dropped his failed hand and ran his now-free hand through his hair, hanging his head low. He felt a scream build up in the back of his throat. He took a deep, shaking breath, left to his own thoughts. Katsuya didn't know what ha was doing; he was out of his league, surrounded by men like Seto, who had all the money and the education. He could see it on Seto's face, that annoying, smug grin that Katsuya just wanted to choke out of him.

Katsuya looked up, and yes, Seto was watching him, but his expression was not mocking. For once in his life, a touch or concern graced his expression. He seemed to be biting the inside of his cheek - biting back a comment? - as he watched, quiet. Everyone was capable of change; if Seto Kaiba could be a C-grade friend, Katsuya Jonouchi could be an A-grade student.

"We should stop," Seto said, gathering up cards.  
"No! I wanna keep going," Katsuya insisted, though his roommate gestured to a clock.  
"I need to make dinner. And no, we aren't ordering food." He put his cards back in their box and stood, looking down at Katsuya. "Look through the cards and actually memorise them."

Eh. Some things never changed, Katsuya figured. With Seto gone, he buried himself with tidying up the rest of the cards, putting the mat away. With his own deck back in their box, he sat back down on the couch, flicking through the flashcards.

He couldn't help but be amazed by Seto's handwriting. He always imagined it would be neat, but never this neat, he thought, as he trailed his fingers along the colourful ink. Who knew he wrote in colours that weren't plain black, either. Katsuya sure didn't. He kept finding out little things about Seto, and some more major things, too.

Maybe, just maybe, Katsuya stood a chance at making a true, good friend out of Seto. Even if he was a jerk, even if his cooking wasn't the best, he was trying. Katsuya smiled softly to himself as he thought about it.

It didn't feel like long before Seto poked his head out of the kitchen door to let him know dinner was ready, and Katsuya practically fell out of his seat. Man, was he ready for food.

After food was done, and after he had washed up, Katsuya sat back down on the couch next to Seto, who had already settled himself down with the laptop. He was tapping away, hardly aware of his roommate, until he spoke.

"Yo, Kaiba, move your laptop a sec."

Seto, though confused, complied, lifting his laptop up, and immediately regretted it. In a swift, smooth motion, he brought his legs up and over Seto's lap, small of his back against the armrest. He flicked through his flashcards idly again, like he had not just intruded completely on Seto's personal space.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seto asked, glaring over at him.  
"Looking through my cards." He didn't know whether to be impressed or even more infuriated by how casual Katsuya was.  
"Are you going to move?"  
Katsuya scoffed. "No."

Seto had options. He could have put his laptop down on the arm of the chair and shoved him off, but he could see that smashing, and frankly, he wasn't a big fan of that. Or, he could have yelled at Katsuya, starting yet another pointless argument that would send them back to square one. Just because Seto had options, It didn't mean he had good ones.

"It's like we're an old married couple," Katsuya mused.  
"If you ever say that again, I won't hesitate to turn your legs into a pretzel."

Katsuya laughed, settling down comfortably, knowing if Seto wanted him gone that badly, he would have pushed harder. Seto put his laptop on Katsuya's shins as he went back to work. This felt oddly comfortable, like he was at home, and Seto couldn't remember the last time he felt so at peace with someone who wasn't Mokuba.

He pushed out his own thoughts again, going back to work, and pretending Katsuya wasn't laying over him. He had to admit, he was enjoying the peace, and the relationship they had formed. Seto had become rather fond of Katsuya, he realised, though perhaps not in the way he had hoped.

"Kaiba." Thank God, Katsuya was going to save him from his own thoughts, before he ran too far with them. "I just wanna say thanks for helping me out."

Though he wasn't doing it for the thanks, and did not expect it, Seto felt quite happy to be thanked. A bit of appreciation went a long way, he supposed.

"Do you really think a medical degree is the best idea?" Seto asked.  
Katsuya leaned over, putting the cards down. Looks like they were finally going to talk about this. "Probably not, I know, I'm not smart enough for this. I've heard it all before." He rolled his eyes. "But I wanna make Shizuka proud, you know?"

Shizuka. Seto could only assume that was Katsuya's sister, but he didn't question it. Katsuya gently moved his leg, making Seto move his laptop again and allowing him to shuffle down, legs dangling over the armrest and his head where the small of his back was. He folded his hands over his chest, in a way that reminded Seto of therapy. Without another word, he closed his laptop, barely able to reach down and put it down carefully. Why didn't he just do that in the first place?

Katsuya sighed softly. "It's…" He swallowed hard, staring up at the ceiling as if there was a TV up there. "It's too late to save her sight. By the time I found out, there was nothing I could do about it." His voice was soft, quiet, nothing like Seto had ever heard before. "I don't know. What I want is, maybe, to help work on new treatments, make it more affordable. I don't want anyone else to go through what Shizuka did." His eyes filtered shut. "Yeah, okay, I know. Make fun of me."

Seto didn't know what to say. They had known each other so long, and not even once had he imagined they would be so open with each other. Katsuya had been far more open with Seto, but Seto had also started to divulge personal information about his family. Though it wasn't the most comfortable topics, it was strange feeling comfortable enough with each other to talk.

Seto hesitated, before patting Katsuya's shin and resting his hand there. Physical contact was fine, right? He was asking this while Katsuya had sprawled over him, of course it was fine. As Katsuya made no effort to move away, nor did he tell him to move, Seto took that as permission to stay.

"I wasn't going to make fun of you, Jonouchi," Seto said reluctantly.

Katsuya laughed, relaxing a little on Seto. Though, he wasn't going to admit that, had he known from the start, Seto would have laughed him out of the building. Katsuya wasn't university material, let alone med student material and, to Seto, it was almost laughable. Or, at least then, it would have been. Katsuya was determined. Hard work and determination only took someone so far, though, if they didn't have the brains to back it up.

He didn't know if Katsuya would make it past the end of this year, and he had no idea what kind of fluke got him into university in the first place. Yet, instead of tearing him down, Seto wanted to help him, for the first time in his life. He wasn't sure whether he was horrified more at his past self for being so hard, or his current self for being too soft.

Seto lost himself in thought, instinctively tightening his grip on Katsuya's leg. He knew university would change him, but it was changing him into someone he wasn't so sure of. He was so used to being cold, being alone, that he had not considered the possibility of someone else in his life. The more Seto changed, the more he realised; all he had been doing this whole time was mirroring his father's actions. And that was not a good realisation to make, not ever.

"Kaiba?" For the second time that day, Katsuya's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. "You're squeezing."

Seto looked over at Katsuya who was sitting up - when did he sit up - and was now perhaps a little too close. Sensing discomfort, he backed up, bringing his back up against the armrest once again, and Seto almost breathed a sigh of relief. No one ever got that close to him, bar family, and those were the closest people he had in his life. Letting Katsuya in so close…

"I'm sorry. I was thinking."

Seto did want to say what was on his mind, all of it, without skipping any details, but he couldn't. They just weren't there yet, but then again, Seto also did not owe him an explanation.

"What about? It wasn't because I said you'd make fun of me, is it?" Katsuya frowned. "... I didn't think you'd take that to heart so much, I'm sorry. I forget you're not such a dick anymore."

Seto did not have low self esteem, sought approval from no one in his life. He cared not for praise, only results. But there was something about the way Katsuya spoke that made him feel oddly better about himself, and he wasn't sure what it was, exactly. A healthy relationship was a foreign concept to Seto.

"It wasn't you," Seto said.  
"And you're not gonna tell me any more, are you?" Katsuya laughed to himself.  
"I…" Seto looked down at his hands for a moment, contemplating his options. He was tired, not stupid. "No."  
He shrugged. "Thought not."

Katsuya leaned over and grabbed his flashcards, flicking through them once again, and it felt like none of that happened. Seto reached down for his laptop, and Katsuya offered no aid, but he managed. Thinking about it, it was strange thinking they were in similar boats; they were both where they were for a sibling.

Seto liked to believe that, had Shizuka been Mokuba, he would have done anything. But then, that was assuming Katsuya didn't already go through hell for his own sister, but surely there was more he could have done. There was always a way, because if there wasn't, neither of them would be in university.

Katsuya looked over his cards, up to Seto, who was focused on his work. His face had scrunched up in concentration, though Katsuya wondered if there was something else. Sometimes, he wished he could just see into his roommate's mind, wishing to know more about him, anything.

He knew his brother, Mokuba, who was a little shit. He knew his father, Gozaburo, a politician known for his charity, which was a stark contrast to Seto. He knew of Noah, and the disagreement between him and Gozaburo. And that was all Katsuya knew of Seto. Though he wanted to know more, he knew pushing him would be futile.

For now, he was content enough to know Seto in other ways that not many others would know. Katsuya knew when he was mad, knew how to make him mad, and knew when he was pleased. He knew when to push, and when not to push. And he also knew when he was tired, even if he tried to stifle his yawns, as it was all in the eyes.

How long had Katsuya been staring into those eyes for? God, they were so pretty. Steady yourself, Katsuya.

"You're tired. Go to bed." Katsuya sounded light hearted about it, but he moved his legs regardless, allowing Seto to get up.  
He wanted to argue, but he had to admit he was running low on energy. "You also need to sleep. Tiredness will get you nowhere."

Not that he could talk about tiredness, but he knew how to deal with exhaustion, while Katsuya did not understand true exhaustion. He wasn't about to start comparing, though, as he had better reasons to cause arguments. Seto had a ghost of a smile on his lips when he rose, but by the time Katsuya caught it, it was gone.

Seto got changed and crawled into bed, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep; he had far too much on his mind, and he wasn't sure what bothered him most. All his thoughts circled around him, vultures, waiting to pick him apart.

Sometimes, he thought, it would be so much easier to let go a little bit. A part of him wished he could be more like Katsuya, but Seto could never be like him. He sighed and rolled over, deciding his best option was to at least try and sleep.

The next few days were of a similar vein. If Katsuya wasn't working, or in class, he sat in the living room, working away on old test papers as practice. If Seto was available, he sat with Katsuya, working on his own things. They could have sat in their rooms ignoring each other, but for some reason, they both felt their focuses slip when apart. Not that they told the other how they felt.

Occasionally, Seto heard whispered curses, and the furious scribble of a pen. He noticed, however, that the scribbling was getting less and less, or Katsuya was just hiding it better. Where it used to be black scribbles all over the page, it was simply a couple of scribbles, once every couple of pages.

Katsuya slammed his pen down out of nowhere, with a loud grunt. "What am I doing?" He laughed. "We both know I shouldn't be here, but here I am, doing a degree I shouldn't be doing."

Seto stopped writing, looking over at Katsuya. He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, combing it out of his face, showing off the bags under his eyes. He was an absolute mess, and though Seto tried to make him go to bed, tried to get him to sleep, but Katsuya just wasn't looking after himself.

And if he wasn't, then Seto would look after him.

"Shut up." Katsuya snapped over to look at him, mouth open to speak, but Seto put his hand over his mouth. "Stop trying to be me, stop overworking yourself. Do you think working yourself to the bone will help you?"  
Katsuya sighed. "No."  
"You're killing yourself. Do you hear me? You are not me, you can't do what I do. No one should have to do what I do." Seto had to quickly distract from that. "Get something to eat. Take a shower. Go to bed. Or you will fail." He grabbed Katsuya's latest exam papers, marked and graded. "Look at this. Your grades are fine, and this is you without sleep. We're not talking about this anymore, so you're going. Now."

How many times were they going to argue about this? As many times as it took for them to listen to each other. This time, Katsuya did listen, surrendering his pen and paper and getting up to follow his orders.

With how hard he was working, there was no way Katsuya would fail and, for the first time, Seto believed in someone who wasn't himself.


End file.
